


Ballad for a Scarecrow

by tmo



Category: Naruto
Genre: Drama, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-11
Updated: 2013-08-27
Packaged: 2017-12-24 20:47:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/944478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmo/pseuds/tmo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iruka would do almost anything for his little brother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Brotherly Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! T-Bear here and I'm really excited to get this story up and going.
> 
> This story is based on the film version of _Beauty and the Beast_ (Disney version) but as the story continues many aspects from the original written fairy tale published by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve ( _La Belle et la_ _Bête_ ) will come to surface.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I did writting it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story.
> 
> * * *

A long time ago, there once lived a young prince who lived in a grand mansion on the outskirts of the famous village of Konoha. Although he had everything his heart desired and more the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind to others.

One winter's night, an old, crippled woman came to the castle and offered him a single bloody red rose in return for a few simple minutes of shelter away from the cold blizzard outside.

Repulsed by her crippled and foul appearance, the prince sneered at her offer and turned the old woman away. She warned him not to be deceived by appearances for beauty is found within and when he sent her off a second time, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal the beautiful witch named Tsunade.

The prince tried to apologize when he realized who she was but it was too late for she had seen that there was not a sliver of love in his heart and as punishment she turned him into a twisted monster and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there.

Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle with an enchanted sword as his only window to the outside world.

The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose that would bloom until his 22nd year. If he could learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, he would be turned back to his real form.

If not, he would be doomed to remain in his monstrous form for all time.

"There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza. Dear Liza, there's a…" Humming the rest of rest of the little tune in his head, the blond tested the stallion's other stirrup and nodded in satisfaction as he found it to be tight enough.

Another young man came up to the blond, waiting patiently and quietly for the other to notice his presence. When the blond finally looked back and spotted, he grinned and gave up his attention from the horse to his friend, "thanks again for having me over, Gaara."

"I was the one who invited you. I should be the one to say thanks, Naruto." The younger man watched as Naruto picked up his bag from the ground and slung it over his shoulder, the ever-present smile having yet to fade.

"It was nothing. You should come over to Konoha some time. I bet Iruka would love to see you again! Everyone can't wait to see you again!" the green-eyed boy's lips twitched upward at Naruto's kind request and the mention of the blond's older 'brother'.

"I think I will."

With that satisfying response, the blue-eyed, boy climbed onto the back of his horse and trotted towards the gates.

"You better! I'll be waiting!" A last grin was given and Gaara raised a hand in wave as Naruto disappeared in the distance.

The smile didn't fade for a long while until one thing was beginning to become apparent as he made his way home, nothing looked familiar.

He watched as trees and shrubs grew thinner and thinner, thinking to himself that he didn't remember the way to Konoha being this…dead.

Stopping his horse with a pull of the reigns, Naruto gave everything around him a good, long look before concluding sadly that he was indeed lost.

"Great," he grumbled to his agitated horse as he rubbed his face in defeat. "Iruka'll kill me if I'm late again."

Naruto's eyes widened. At the thought of his brother's fury, he dug his heels quickly into the horse's side but the horse whinnied abruptly and stood on his back legs, causing the blond to fall off into the dry, brittle leaves bellow. With a cry of confusion, Naruto jumped back to his feet to start yelling complaints at the animal but stopped short when he saw a pair of glowing, yellow eyes regarding them from the bushes.

Frozen in fear, Naruto was jolted out of his cold state when his horse gave a final whinny before he turned tail and ran, grasping in vain at the reigns before the horse disappeared into the thicket of dead trees and turning towards the oncoming predator. He stared at the dark, powerful creature in front of him for a few moments, calculating if the beast could harm him, and fled after the horse in sheer fright when he realized the beast was out to kill.

Adrenaline coursed through the young man's veins as he rushed away from the wolf, glancing back to see the animal was still on the dirt road, watching him run before throwing his head back and howling. At the sound of the call to its brethren, another howl echoed in the distance, accompanied by even more that sent fear rushing through Naruto's whole body, pushing him forward through the forest. He tripped over his own feet and roots that bulged out of the ground but caught himself before he hit and kept running, terror keeping him going until he stumbled one last time and fell…

Down a steep hill.

He flipped and cartwheeled until he slammed into solid, flat ground that knocked the air out of his lungs, sending him into fits of coughing to catch his breath. The teen laid there for a few moment before reality came crashing back down with the sounds of more howling, getting nearer by the second. He jolted up and stared at the ridge above him, shaking in horror and alarm at what was to come. Scraping his nails in dread, the blond snapped his head to the ground when he found that it wasn't dirt he was sitting on but stone, a cobblestone road to be exact.

Whipping his head to the left he found that it wasn't a road but a driveway, one that lead to the grandest house he had ever seen.

But he had no time to waste, observing houses. The wolves howled triumphantly, Naruto saw, at the top of the ridge and the young man scrambled up, speeding off towards the iron gate that stood proud as a symbol of hope in front of him. Crashing into the gate, Naruto pulled at the latch with panic-riddled hands that shook with feverish glee and equal amounts of fear until he finally tugged open the heavy gate door and slung inside to slam the door shut with all his body weight. He backed up just in time for the wolves to snap angrily at him from between the bars.

Laughing with delirious relief, the sixteen-year old plopped down onto the hard cobblestones and watched as the beasts stopped snapping at him to sit down with an unnerving calm.

But Naruto couldn't care less that they were waiting for him to come out. He was safe now and even had a place to stay. He grinned at the thought and looked back at the amazing castle, taking in its tall, dark tower and sprawling yards that went as far as the eye could see on either side of the so-called home, a fence bordering said lawn of brown grass.

For some reason or another, the boy seemed to neglect the fact that there were no lights on indoors or other signs of life for that matter and snuck over to the front door, pausing to knock politely before earning no response and pushing open the door.

Little did he know just how much his life and the lives of people of those closest to him would change with that one reckless decision.

* * *

The sun was slowly starting to set beyond the horizon and Iruka bit his lip, worry beginning to bubble inside him, wondering if he should stay at home and wait or go out in search of his little brother. Knowing Naruto, the boy had probably taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in another village.

Although, that was the very thought that kept Iruka at home, waiting. He knew Naruto wouldn't stop somewhere without letting him know first, reliable however unpredictable he may be. That's why Iruka turned around on the hill with a sigh and headed for their little house that sat just at the base of the bluff.

When Iruka came through the back door to his and his adopted brother's home, he couldn't help but feel lonely with Naruto gone. Shaking off the feeling, determined not to be anxious, he snatched his favorite song book off its shelf and sat down at the piano in their small living room. It had been his mother's and she taught him everything she knew about playing it before she died when he was little.

He flipped to his favorite piece and was just about to begin when the doorbell rang. He sighed again went to open it.

"Why, Iruka. What a pleasant surprise..." Mizuki said slyly when Iruka found him on the stoop. Raising an eyebrow, the teacher stared at the man with a frown.

"If I do recall," Iruka said as he smoothed his hand distractedly across the wood of the doorway. "This is my house, unless I'm mistaken."

A hearty laugh cut the air as the taller man pushed past Iruka into said home, flopping down into the chair by the piano. He rubbed nonexistent tears out of his eyes as Iruka quickly went to the piano and close the latch over the keys, taking precaution in case the unpredictable, older man should accidentally damage it. The taller man said with low conviction as he plucked the song book of the piano, "you are a riot, Ruka."

"I told you not to call me that." Iruka seized the papers and went over to his bag by the door as Mizuki shrugged and followed him.

"That's what I like about you, Ruru." the man went on as Iruka sighed frustrated for the third time that day and tried to shimmy the book into the bag. "You're funny and cute and you have the most amazing sense of style."

The brunet scoffed at the line stood up just as Mizuki came behind him. The white-haired man went on, "that's why I think you'll make the perfect spouse for me."

"What?!" Iruka spun around as the older man cornered him against the door. The brunet flustered for a few moments at the sudden proposal, "I-I'm sorry, Mizuki, but..."

"But I'm just going to have to bear you?" the taller man smirked and Iruka frowned.

"No, because I'm not going to marry you." Iruka snapped and Mizuki glowered.

"That's not a very funny joke, Iruka."

"That's because it wasn't a joke." the brunet pushed open the door behind him and grabbed the other man, pulling him out of the house by his fancy necktie and throwing the man into the bushes that lined the steps to the door.

"Dumbass," the brunet hissed to himself as he slammed the door shut, locked it and grabbed his bag, stomping over to the back door again. He refused to stay inside, cornered, when Mizuki was somewhere outside his home, prowling around and waiting for a chance to pounce on him.

Iruka found himself trudging through the leaves towards the Sand village in search for his brainless brother, wanting to do anything else than stay at home with that creep of a town's-most-eligible-bachelor. The winds were high and Iruka moved quickly until he came to a fork in the road.

He knew he had to go left but... Naruto had probably thought it was a shortcut and was wandering aimlessly in the woods. The brunet marked forward determinedly through the trees and snow until a shadowy figure crept up from beyond the trees into the darkening sky. The brunet was so focused on getting to what appeared to be a mansion, he didn't even see the slope until his feet met air and he slid down the bank on his back.

As he slid his shirt rode up his back and, when he finally stopped tumbling, he felt his back flare up with pain that felt as if someone had set a torch against his back.

With a groan of pain, he sat up in a daze and was faced with the grandest mansion he had ever seen. It was more of a castle than a mansion and it was surrounded by a gate at least twenty feet tall that wrapped around the front yard of dead grass into the woods on either side of the castle.

At the sound of heavy steps, Iruka scrambled to his feet, the pain forgotten, and spun around to find a familiar face coming towards him from the trees.

"Kyuubi!" the horse bucked his head in recognition of its own name and the young man grasped its reigns, biting his lip as worry flared in him once more, the pain on his back disappearing from his mind. If here was Naruto's horse, then where was Naruto? Iruka turned back to the castle as Kyuubi stepped towards in, tugging Iruka with him as if to indicate something.

Iruka looked to the mansion and sighed. There was only one place Naruto could be.

"Naruto?" the brunet called as he crept down the hollows halls, searching for the blond. He had knocked on the main door only to find that it was open and was now scouring the seemingly abandoned home, looking for that familiar, cheery face he knew so well.

The dark halls weren't full of dust and cobwebs like one would expect but the shadows and feeling that someone was watching him that filled them were enough to put Iruka on edge.

He called and called but there was no answer until he came to a narrow stairwell at the end of the main hall that curled upward. "Naruto?"

"Iruka?" Said young man jumped in relief when he heard Naruto's bright-eyed voice coming from the top of the stairs. He sprinted up the many steps to find a dark hallway lined on each side with doors, only a tiny amount of light poked through the little windows in the doors but there was a spot of light that shone down from a hole in the ceiling, creating a circle of light in the middle of the hall. The voice called his name again and a face appeared in one of the door windows.

"Naruto!" Iruka dashed to the door and bent down onto one knee to be face-to-face with the boy, relief washing through him. "I was so worried about! Are you alright?"

"There's no time for that! You have to get out of here, Iruka, or he'll catch you too!" the boy grasped his hands through the cold bars and spoke quickly, in hushed tones that spoke leagues of fear as well as the urgent look on his face.

"What are you talking about-?" Iruka started, interrupted by a voice that sent chills down his spine.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" It demanded from the shadows in a low, gruff tone that could kill if it wanted to. Naruto cried out from his cell in terror, bringing the shakes to Iruka's fingers in fright from both shock and alarm as the young man slowly turned to face the monster.

The thing was shrouded in darkness but its sharp, red eyes were very visible in the dark, looking down upon Iruka from its lofty height with a fury that sent more shivers down Iruka's spine. The young brunet was stuck in their hypnotic gaze, unable to break free until the sound of Naruto's panicked breaths hits his ears and his gaze flickered away to the floor to regain his nerves before standing, hoping to get higher ground to seem more intimidating.

"I-," Iruka's eyes met the beast's again and lost his words once more in their spellbinding regard before blinking again. "I'm Naruto's brother."

"Well, then it would be my pleasure to inform you that your….brother," the creature spat out, his eyes never leaving Iruka's, "is currently serving out his punishment for trespassing on my land."

"But!" the brunet glanced back at Naruto for confirmation, the blond nodding sadly, "but he's just a kid! He didn't know what he was doing!"

"Well, maybe he should of thought about it before! You're lucky I'm not going to keep you here as well. Now leave!" the eyes disappeared and shuffling noises were heard, telling them that the master of the castle was going back down the stairs.

"Just go, Iruka," Naruto pleaded his brother, hoping that the brunet would leave and maybe even go get help, he didn't care what Iruka did as long as he got away to safety. "Please,"

But Iruka had been thinking of the opposite entirely, biting his lip so that he almost shed blood and calling after the beast, "wait!"

The thing paused just before the stairs and its ruby eyes turned back to Iruka, cold and as hard as before with another look Iruka believed to be curiosity in them as he waited for Iruka to continue. Swallowing passed the lump in his throat, Iruka proposed, "Take me in his place."

"No! Iruka! You can't!" Naruto grasped the bars of the door but he knew that his efforts were in vain when Iruka ignored his pleas and stepped into the light coming from the hole above.

The castle's master seemed surprised, his crimson eyes widening as the cold in them disappeared for a moment in wonder only to be replaced by suspicion in the next, "you would take his place?"

"Of course," after that was said without hesitation, the monster came forward a few feet, just until the edge of the light so that Iruka saw that the thing had the outline of a man with what seemed like a hat placed upon his head.

"You'd stay here, my prisoner until a time I deem worthy?" there was a pause from Iruka this time but it wasn't in hesitation. Curiosity took over instead, moving him to give the request,

"Come into the light."

* * *


	2. Brotherly Love

The monster flinched, giving Iruka a suspicious look before his ruby eyes disappeared when he closed them in what seemed like defeat.

The master took the agonizingly slow first step into the light, revealing black boots that reached his knees and black slacks that sat dangerously loose on thin hips. With the next step, his torso came to light, exposing the white, long-sleeved shirt accented by the gold chain that sat near the folds of his collar to hold the cape on his shoulders in place. His whole frame was long and thin, as if someone had pulled all the muscle and fat off of him and all that was left was skin on top of a pile of bones.

But these weren't the things that made Iruka's jaw, his hands begin to shake or his eyes widen.

It was what came after the sleeves and collar.

Instead of skin, the thing had thick, white pieces of burlap in its place, stretching over the human-like bone structure of his hands and face and held together tightly by thick, black threads. The stitches that held his pieces of 'skin' together extended from the outside corners of his eyes and fell down his cheeks, imitating tear tracks, while another pair of stitches spanned from each ear to the ends of his lips that had been sown together with a thinner version of the other threads.

On top of his head sat a crude imitation of a farmer's hat while a shock of silver hair poked out into the place where his eyebrows were missing and around thick bunch up of 'skin' and stitching on each side of his head that acted as ears. His bright eyes drew all attention to his frightening face.

Iruka spun away from the monster in hopes of calming his beating heart and came to face Naruto's petrified face. The boy's eyes were tearing up from how hard he was squeezing them shut, face turned slightly away from the face that would definitely haunt his nightmares from now on. The brunet's heart ached for the poor boy and he shut his eyes momentarily, his instincts screaming for him to run and get away as fast as he could while something else compelled him to stay.

It could've been his love for Naruto but it was too late to decide because he was already stepping into the light with the beast only a foot or two away, looking straight into his mistrustful, bloody eyes when he said, "as long as you let Naruto go…..I'll stay."

"Done!"

The word fell like the hammer on his death sentence and Iruka fell to his knees as the monster flew passed him. He hardly heard the door to Naruto's room being unlocked and swung open but he was brought to consciousness when the young man grasped his shoulders, looking Ruka in the eyes as he cried, "Why did you do that, Iruka!"

The boy was in tears and Iruka wanted to comfort him and tell him everything was going to be alright but his throat had closed up and the words wouldn't come out. Not until seconds later when Naruto was pulled into the air, dragged down the steps with strength the monster shouldn't have possessed with such a skinny stature. Seeing the boy screaming and thrashing against the thing triggered something inside of him and he finally cried out.

"Naruto!"

But they were already gone.

* * *

"Let me go, you bastard! Let me go!" battering against the beast, Naruto called out to deaf ears. The strong arm that was pilling him at a drastic incline was suddenly gone and the boy went crashing down to the cobblestone paving of the driveway.

"There," the blond scowled up at the so-called man who whistled sharply, scrambling to his feet as a coach and twosome of horses presented themselves from around a corner of the mansion and trotted over to the mansion's master. Once the carriage stopped, the thing opened the door and motioned for the blue-eyed boy to step inside. When Naruto hesitated, the creature frowned harder, "if you don't leave, I'll keep both of you. You wouldn't want your dear brother's sacrifice to be all for naught, would you?"

Lowering his head in shame, Naruto kept his eyes downcast as he pulled himself to his feet and climbed aboard the coach, the immense guilt falling down on him with the slam of the door. Head falling into his hands, the boy pushed back a new wave of fresh tears and swallowed passed the bump in his throat.

"I'm so sorry, Iruka."

* * *

It was dreadfully dark. The whole mansion was like one big abyss with only the light of their torch as an anchor.

The tears had dried up long ago, long after Naruto had been carried away by the creature who now led the way through the inner workings of the mansion.

Now that Iruka could see more, he noticed how lush its furnishings were. There were beautiful, large paintings of people that looked almost as if they were alive and the beautiful rug under his feet was a deep, royal blue that had interwoven gold fibres in patterns that changed with each hall.

Iruka noted that this mansion's master must have been very rich indeed to live in such an amazing mansion. Once more, his curiosity won over his better judgment and he asked, "Who are you?"

The beast suddenly stopped as if startled and turned back to look at Iruka with a confused looked, the burlap where his eyebrows must have been bunched up, imitating someone furrowing their brows, "w-well….im the master of the mansion…."

Almost bumping into him, Iruka backpedaled just in time to miss him by a hair's length. Iruka frowned at the answer. "Actually, I was asking for your name."

"Oh,"

There was a long, awkward moment in between the question, during which the two stared at each other until the taller twitched under the gaze and continued down the hall, causing Iruka to scowl but continue along behind him. They came to a set of doors and the thing motion to them as he stepped to the side, "this is your room,"

"You know, when someone asks a question its polite for the recipient to answer," the question came out as a growl that he had been holding in for the brief few steps of walk, the brunet's true feelings showing through the polite barrier he had composed unintentionally while the thing had left him with his shock to drag Naruto away.

The thing stopped abruptly, turning to face the brunet who was almost out of the reach of his torch, "I already answered your question."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did. You asked who I was and I replied."

"Yes, but that wasn't the answer I was looking for."

"Then maybe you should've been more specific." The retort grinded against Iruka's pride when the brunet realized he was right, his anger rising ever so higher by the millisecond.

"Fine, then, may I ask your name?" Iruka asked with as much cynic contempt he could muster.

"No, you may not."

"What?!"

"Only my staff and kinfolks are allowed to call me by my name. You are my prisoner so you don't have that privilege."

"What?!"

"You heard me," the master pushed open the door and nodded inside, saying before walking off, "get some rest."

Iruka watched after the thing and huffed, "fine then! I'll just call you 'It' then!"

The other man simply gave him a back-handed wave as he continued, not even giving Iruka a backwards glance.

Roaring in anger, the furious young man stomped into his new room and slammed the door shut behind him, only calming once his back hit the door and he surveyed his new room.

It was something else. The room had a beautiful, grand bed in the middle of the room with royal purple sheets and rich satin-covered pillows that were undoubtedly made of feathers. Its elegantly carved wood frame matched the equally gorgeous dresser and mirror as well as the bookcase sitting to one side. A grand wall of windows led out to a balcony that looked out on the front yard was to his left.

It was all so amazing and foreign that it brought with it the seriousness of the situation.

Reality slowly started to sink in and the flood finally started, tears streaming down Iruka's face and falling silently off his cheeks onto the cold, wood floor below in shocked silence, bringing him to his knees so that they smacked hard against the floor. But Iruka didn't really care at the moment. He curled his legs up to his chest and he fell into broken sobs, his head falling to his knees.

He wanted to go home.

* * *

"Uh oh…. He's pissed…" a voice said matter-of-factly.

"You can say that again." a second quipped from a dark corner of the room.

"It's like he's back to his old self again." the third voice next to the first said sadly.

"Yeah but….I don't know, it's different." The first muttered to none of them in particular, everyone hearing all the same and silently agreeing with him.

"Here he comes!"

The double doors to the study burst open and in blew the master, his cape all aflutter as he surged towards the fireplace, crossing his arms and glaring at the room's occupants suspiciously. He snapped, "What?"

"Don't you think that was a bit harsh?" the second said after a long pause of hesitation amongst the people in the room.

"He's my prisoner, Shikamaru. He's lucky that I'm letting him stay in that room."

The raven-haired teen raised a brow.

"He just wanted to know your name, Kakashi." The master whipped his head to face the third voice, the bearded man sitting on one of the two grand chairs by the fire. "Now, look what you've done. You've got him calling you 'It'…."

The room went silent minus the crackling of the fire as everyone else watching tensely as Kakashi's face darkened, hidden by the brim of his hat until he suddenly ripped it off and threw it, hitting the lamp next to the boy studying at the desk. Kakashi's outraged face hid nothing as he stalked from one end of the fire to the other, hissing with rage, "It! that's the best he could come up with! It! He didn't even go with the obvious 'Scarecrow'!"

"I'm sure he didn't mean it, Kakashi. Maybe you should try seeing things from his point of view." Kotetsu suggest, trying to soothe their painfully angry master. "I mean, now he can't go home. He's lost all his friends, family and job. I would be emotional too if I were him."

The comment stopped Kakashi's feet and a little bubble of something that could've resembled concern surfaced. He moved a hand from his bicep and lightly ran over his stitched lips, thinking for a few moments until he instructed, "Kotetsu, can you bring down the dagger and ask Izumo to check on our guest in the process?"

With everyone's hearts lighter than before, Kotetsu zipped out of the room.

* * *

The tears hadn't finished but they were slowing down. Iruka had managed to drag himself over to the satin-covered bed and drop down onto it, feeling dejected and despairing for his old life. He had just opened his eyes and they met with another pair of brown ones, looking up at him.

"Please don't scream." The new arrival said in time for Iruka to hold back his yelp of shock and fright.

The young man in front of him gave a soft smile, pulling back up to his full height from his head-cocked position to look down at Iruka. The smile wasn't frightening, his eyes weren't heart-stopping and his hazel hair was too flat to be dangerous but Iruka's fear/shock-o-meter still went up to high. It was because the young man was only half there, in the most literal sense.

His skin and clothes were half-transparent. Iruka could see right through him to the bookcase on the other wall. The brunet had a creeping suspicion that if he put his hand out it would go through him too.

"Hi, my name is Izumo. And no, I'm not a ghost." Izumo stuck out his hand and, to Iruka's hesitant surprise, the hand was solid beneath his touch. After their hands dropped, Izumo gave the guest a sad smile. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened but I'd like to say on my and all the other staff member's behalf that we're glad to have you here."

Still confused about the other man's appearance, Iruka said bitterly, "except maybe him…"

After Izumo blinked a few times in response, his face lit up in understanding and he sat down beside Iruka on the bed with an apologetic smile. Iruka noted that he definitely had weight as the bed bent under the ghostly man. "I'm sorry about the master's behaviour.

"He hasn't quite had the finest of days lately and I guess their taking their toll on him." Izumo offered.

Iruka looked away for a few moments, letting the information sink in as he nodded distantly.

Another long silence accompanied them but it was thankfully broken by Izumo.

"You know, I could give you a tour of the castle if you want." The other man's brightly lit face urged Iruka to comply with the request and, with a scratch to the back of his head, Iruka nodded in agreement, standing and moving to the door silently.

Izumo stood as well but froze once he saw the blood staining the back of Iruka's shirt.

* * *

Meanwhile, down by the pub/restaurant next to Konoha's famous pastry shop, a certain man was angrily stabbing at the steak put out in front of him. The meat wasn't bad but Mizuki insisted on dicing it to pieces with the new, expensive dagger he had bought with his parent's money a couple of years back, using it to get his anger out and to show it off in the process.

His two sidekicks were watching with salivating mouths at the poor steak, wishing Mizuki would stop taunting them and hand it over. Fūjin and Raijin frowned at each other and turned back to their alpha.

"Don't cha think that's enough Mizuki?" one of the brothers whined, pouting a pout that was actually both ugly and laughable at the same time.

"Yeah!" the other one crowed, "you're gonna ruin it that way!"

The dagger-armed man looked up and glared at them both, "you two ate only half an hour ago."

"Yeah, but we're still hungry!" they simpered at the same time.

"You know what?" the twins looked the smaller man in confusion, waiting for him to continue. "If you guys can figure out a way to get Iruka to marry me, then I'll buy you all the food you can eat for a week."

Mizuki smirked at their now glowing expressions as he knew that the two dummies in front of him would never come up with anything in a million years, turning his attention to his mug of ale and pulling his head back to down the last sips of it.

"Hey! What about his little brother!" one of the twins cried out and the taller one frowned as Mizuki's eyes went wide.

"What are you talking about, brother? Mizuki doesn't have a brother."

"Nah! I was talking about Iruka's little brother, silly!"

A cold chuckle became clear to their ears and they looked to find Mizuki grinning darkly, "Well, you two just made my day…"

A plan was starting to slowly form in his head, "Naruto…"

* * *

Little did any of the trio know but said blond boy was disembarking from the carriage that had brought him back into town at that very moment.

He slipped out of the carriage, his face downcast and dark as he bit his lip in thought.

"He'll be fine."

Startled, the blond spun around to find a raven-haired boy perched on the driver's seat, elbows on his knees. The young man's black eyes looked down at him with what looked like pity to Naruto. Gritting his teeth, said boy snarled, "How do you know, huh?"

Sasuke didn't answer. Instead, he kept his eyes on the vibrant young man, studying him. Naruto shifted under his gaze and snarled in anger at not getting a response which was remedied when the mysterious boy answered, "Because the master would never hurt someone without a cause, Dobe."

With a startled cry, Naruto's face burst into shock which turned quickly into anger, "what did you call me!?"

Turning away, the black-eyed boy grasped the carriage's reigns, "later, Dobe."

There was a flick to the reigns and Sasuke was off, circling back the way they had come. Naruto only had time to yell before he got out of range, "TEME!"

* * *


	3. Storm's a Brewin'

Kakashi scowled at the wall and spun around to pace to the other side of the room, wringing his hands in unease as he waited slightly impatiently for Kotetsu to come back with the relic. He paused in his pacing, head up and listening to the sounds outside the study. He shook his head and kept pacing, it had just been his imagination.

After seeing the master do that for the fifth time, Shikamaru sighed, "If you're that anxious to see him, why don't you just go to him instead?"

Freezing at the wall farthest from the boy, Kakashi snapped his head in his direction, "I'm not anxious."

"Why don't you pace around the room one more time? Maybe then we'll believe you." Asuma grinned at the flushed man with a chuckle.

"There's nothing to be nervous about." The words were mumbled out as Kakashi moodily crossed his arms and scowled at his shuffling feet.

Just in time, the double doors were shoved open and Kotetsu grinned as he slid into the room with the dusty sabre in hand. The master bolted forward and snatched it from Kotetsu's outstretched hands, moving to stand at the centre of the room. The other people in the room stood and waited for Kakashi to open it, watching as the man hesitated for a few moments with a thoughtful look in his eyes. Kakashi took a deep breath and called out, "show him to me!"

The room exploded into light that would have blinded them all momentarily if they hadn't been prepared. Once their eyes adjusted, they watched as the light morphed and plastered itself against the walls to overlap them with the ghostly image of another room in the mansion that they recognized as the guest room. The blue light near the centre of the room moved to the shape of the two figures and the furniture in the room, shifting until it finally made out the details of the people in the room, their guest looking like one of the servants while Izumo looked even more transparent than usual.

Kakashi and the others watched as the figures in the room moved, the image-Iruka passing through Kakashi as he shuffled to the door while image-Izumo stood from the ethereal bed and stopped dead in his tracks. The other people followed the brunet's gaze to their guest's bloodied shirt, Kakashi's breath hitching in his throat at the sight.

Looking back when the man stopped, Iruka saw the frightened look on Izumo's face. "What's wrong?"

"Your back," Izumo said softly as he moved to Iruka's side and lifted up the back of his shirt with careful fingers to see the long cut stretching across the tan man's back. "Did he do this?"

The real occupants of the room snapped their heads to a speechless Kakashi in confirmation, the master ignoring their suspicious looks and continued to observe the ghostly reflection in front of them.

"Huh?" the other brunet thought before the confusion cleared and quickly shook his head, saying insistently, "no! No! No! He didn't! I took a step too much and fell down that bluff outside the gates."

"Oh!" everyone's expression mimicked Izumo's relieved one, Kakashi's never changing as he inspected the scrapes on his guest's back.

"Shikamaru?" the boy turned his eyes to the silver-haired man, waiting expectantly until Kakashi continued, "go get Sakura."

The boy left with a nod.

* * *

"Help!" the light-haired man lifted his head as the boy he had just been contemplating rushed inside, his eyes wild and hair in disarray. "Please! I need someone to help me!"

The blond grabbed onto the first person he saw and shook him, demanding he helped him. Mizuki couldn't help but grin.

"Calm down, Naruto." He slapped the boy on the back, asking, "now, why don't you breathe for a bit then tell us what happened."

Naruto's face lit up. "Mizuki! I need your help! Iruka's been captured by a horrible monster!"

"Whoa! Slow down there, kiddo. What kind of monster are we talking about here?" the man, of course, didn't believe the boy's ramblings but humored him for the sake of his plan.

"He was tall, taller than you, Mizuki! And had skin that looked like it was made from one for those feed bags! And! And! He had stiches all over his face!" Naruto fingered his cheeks to demonstrate. "And his eyes! They were red, like blood!"

"A monster, huh?" Mizuki purred with fake concern as he draped an arm over Naruto's shoulder and directed Naruto towards his table. "Now, why don't you tell me, from the starting, what happened, okay?"

* * *

"There you go," the pink haired girl said with a smile as she packed away her medical utilities.

"Thank you," Iruka pulled his shirt back on and experimentally twisted his middle, wincing on occasion when his back gave little cries of pain. He watched the girl pack and noticed how she too glimmered out of existence slightly. He looked to Izumo and found him talking quietly to a see-through boy at the door that looked to be the same age as Sakura, the girl who had treated Iruka's back. "Sakura?"

"Yes?" the girl looked up from her supplies with a warm smile that said 'go ahead, you can ask me anything'.

"Well, would you mind explaining to me why you seemed to be…um," Iruka hesitated for the right words but the young medic supplied,

"Transparent?" the brunet nodded and saw her smile fall into one that was dipped in a melancholy feeling. "We weren't always this way. It happened when the others my age and I were all small children, around seven years ago, I think."

At seeing the perplexed look on the guest's face, Sakura laughed and elaborated that their parents worked here as permanent servants, being paid in shelter and food. "Anyway, I don't know much about what happened precisely but….well, the master made the wrong decision and now…"

Iruka watched as she shrugged and gestured to her translucent body that was almost as clear a crystal. "But….that's so unfair. I mean, you were just kids."

"Well, it doesn't really matter to us now, we're used to it." she said with another smile, picking up her bag and moving to the door. "Now, you better come see me if that cut gives you any trouble, Iruka!"

"Will do," Iruka rubbed his cheek in thought, not noticing the Izumo and the boy had entered, giving him a start in the process.

"It's nice to meet you, Iruka." the boy gave a curt nod and Izumo gestured to him.

"This is Shikamaru."

Iruka gave him a kind smile, "it seems everyone here knows my name."

The two servants chuckled, "don't be surprised when you find out everyone in the mansion does."

The gurgles of laughter trickled away and the servant bided Iruka to get some rest, giving him warm smiles that Iruka could see were trying to hide pity and wished him a good night as they closed the door. The brunet was left all alone inside his room with the single candle Sakura had brought to work with as the only source of light to cast out the shadows.

With an uneasy shiver, Iruka couldn't help but wonder if he was the only normal person in the entire mansion.

* * *

The mansion was quiet. Kakashi made his way down the hall with languid steps that were almost inaudible. He wasn't eager to get to the kitchen lest Iruka was already there.

He passed another curtained window and paused to peek with squinted eyes outside at how the weather was doing. He sighed at how miserable the morning looked, gray clouds that blocked the sun hanging low as if they were in a bad mood and ready to cry any second. He wondered if they were reflecting how Iruka was feeling.

With that heavy thought weighing down his mind, he continued his way down the hall, peeking around corners to make sure he wasn't going to run into his guest. It wasn't that he was still angry at Iruka for calling him 'It' but, after watching his guest through the sword, he couldn't help feeling guilty for some reason.

Giving a push to the kitchen's door, he froze. So did Choji, Shikamaru and Iruka.

One of the brunets and Shikamaru were sitting at the counter, having what looked like breakfast that Choji was cooking up at the stove.

Kakashi blinked and spun around to leave with a muttered, "sorry,"

"Wait!" Looking back, the older man saw that Iruka had stood from his seat.

"Um," Confidence fading fast, Iruka fidgeted under the ruby gaze and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he looked to the floor, saying softly, "I….I'm sorry for yelling at you last night."

Breath catching in his throat, Kakashi watched as the blush of embarrassment spread across his guest's cheeks and couldn't help it when the ends of his lips curled up lightly at the sight, a small light of warmth coming to life in his chest at the sight. His lips fell when his eyes met Shikamaru's as the boy gestured with a pointed nod of his head to Iruka.

Kakashi took the hint.

"Your apology is accepted but…" the older man paused when the brunet looked up at him in confusion, glancing at his feet he cleared his throat, "I have to admit that I was being unreasonable and it would give me great pleasure if you would accept _my_ apologies."

Iruka was stunned into silence. He hadn't been expecting that. His mouth opened and closed like a fish for a few moments before blinking into reality and giving a small smile that made Kakashi's heart skip a step as the brunet said softly, "A-apology accepted."

Glancing back at Choji, Shikamaru smirked as his friend mimicked the gesture with a knowing look. The brunet at the stove called over to the eldest in the room, "hey! You want something?"

Snapping his head towards Choji, Kakashi coughed and said softly, "yes, that would be nice."

The master moved stiffly into the room, towards the table, as Choji busied himself at the counter. All the while he could feel Iruka's gaze on him as the brunet sat back down in his seat. Under those eyes, he was about to sit next to Shikamaru which was as far as politely possible as he could get from his guest but was stopped when they boy pulled out the seat for Kakashi between both him and Iruka at the end of the table. With an unsure glare at the chair then the boy, he slowly slunk down into the seat, keeping his head low to the table as he felt Iruka's attention thankfully shift back to breakfast.

Hands curled into fists at the uncomfortable tension in the air that seemed to grow thicker with every passing second and Kakashi mentally willed Choji to move faster to get this agonizing situation over as quickly as possible.

"Kakashi," the silence that rested between Choji's moving about was broken by the older man's sudden declaration. Iruka almost choked in response but swallowed instead before looking at Kakashi with wide, confused eyes.

"What?"

"Kakashi," the man repeated at a higher volume as his eyes raised to meet Iruka's. "That's my name."

The kitchen seemed to fall silent as the eldest brunet's confusion changed to astonishment. Blinking, Iruka shook his head and sent Kakashi another warming smile.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Kakashi."

Almost sighing as the sir became a little more bearable, Kakashi's lips curled up slightly at the tips, feeling a sense of acceptance wash over him as Choji set down his glass in front of him and he nodded in thanks to the cook's son.

Iruka tried really hard not to stare. The urge, though, was just too great and he couldn't help but watch as the master fit the thin tube between his lips and stitches to sip at the liquid in the cup before him. It had been hard to not stare at the man after he'd first entered the kitchen, showing off that shock of silver hair that had been covered by that hat when they'd first met, but now the curiosity gnawing at him was so insistent he couldn't resist.

"So," having almost forgotten Choji and Shikamaru were there, the master and teacher turned towards the brunet by Kakashi's side. "We were just telling Iruka about the castle."

"Yeah, and how we could give him a tour of it if he likes!" the call emanated from within the kitchen where Choji was busying about. His words brought a half-way wicked smirk to Shikamaru's lazy lips as a small plan pretty much formed itself.

"Since you're here, sir, why not let you give him the tour instead?" feeling the sting of the con, Kakashi winced at seeing the small leer on Shikamaru's face. "I mean, since you're the owner and all."

With both sets of eyes at the table on him, Kakashi pushed away his drink and looked to Iruka. "Well, if you would like to be shown around I guess I could oblige."

Iruka smiled again. "I would love a tour, if I'm not imposing."

"No, no, not at all," Kakashi said quickly as he stood to leave the kitchen. He was about to offer his hand for Iruka to take in a polite reflex as the brunet was standing so that he could place the hand on his arm like he always would but caught himself just as Iruka's eyes lighted upon them, clenching his hand into a fist and dropping it back to his side. The master instead went to the door and looked back, saying, "Follow me, please,"

* * *

Groaning, the blond yawned and stretched in his bed and turned onto his belly only to fall straight off the bed. Shivering from the floor's cold, he pushed himself up and pulled a shirt from his closet over his head. With the deep breath he took, the smell of food greeted his senses and he grinned. Pancakes for breakfast were his favorite and it was a rare treat that Iruka made them for him. As he scrambled down the stairs, he reminded himself that he had to thank Iruka for them so that he wouldn't get whacked on the head by the spoon Iruka had thrown at him last time for not saying his thanks.

There was something at the back of his mind, though, that Naruto was sure he had to remember but was trying to evade his grasp. He shrugged it off and continued to the kitchen.

Instead of Iruka, though, there was a raven-haired boy at the stove that looked suspiciously familiar.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing in my house!" the blond roared.

Sasuke turned towards Naruto with a bored look then turned back to the task at hand. "I came to make sure you didn't burn your own house down."

"Why would-!" the boy froze when the memories of last night came to light, remembering how Iruka had given himself up for Naruto's freedom and that horrible monster. He swallowed over the knot in his throat and asked in a calmer fashion, "why are you here?"

"I already answered that."

Naruto shook his head. "I meant, why are you here and not there?"

Knowing 'there' meant the castle, Sasuke replied with a shrug.

Naruto frowned.

* * *

Kakashi looked back at his guest to make sure he was still following. The quiet brunet was studying the rug that they were walking on in the light of candelabra and Kakashi sucked in a deep breath as his grip on the light tightened. "It's Persian."

"Huh?" Iruka's head snapped up to find Kakashi watching him and the master gesture with a nod of his head to the floor.

"The rug, it's Persian."

"Oh."

The silence that followed was on the painful side of being quiet. Kakashi bit his lip and tried to continue, "Um….my father had it commissioned when he helped a Persian rug maker with his debts."

"That must have been a big debt." Iruka watched as Kakashi winced with a smile that stretched his stitches as he scratched the back of his head.

"It was but my father had the money to spend."

"Sir!" they both turned back to find Izumo coming towards them. The young man held out an envelope to the older man. "Master Jaraiya's sent a letter. The messenger says it's urgent."

"Oh…um," Kakashi sent his unsure gaze to Iruka. "I should probably answer him right away then…."

"Yeah, if it's that important," Iruka nodded in agreement as Kakashi gently handed him his own candle. "We can continue this after."

Iruka felt his cheeks heat up when Kakashi smiled warmly at his consideration and said thank you before he and Izumo disappeared down another hall, leaving Iruka with his thoughts and the candlelight.

It was odd. Iruka wanted to hate Kakashi for everything that happened last night but now….was he pretending to be a withdrawn host or was it genuine? He wanted to believe Kakashi really was as kind as he had seemed this morning, he liked this one a lot more than the thing he'd met last night.

As he thought over Kakashi's actions, Iruka made his way down the long corridor in front of him, wondering if Kakashi had mood swings that drastic that often as he stopped at the ornate door that stood at the end of the hall.

Thoughts of Kakashi aside, the young man tried the handle to find that it gave away with ease. Biting his lip, he checked behind him if anyone was watching and pulled the door open. The sight that greeted him made his breath catch in his throat.

Inside stood the most beautiful set of instruments he'd ever seen in his life. To one side of the room, an amazing organ was attached to the wall while the other wall was used to hang all sorts of musical pieces such as an assortment of guitars and other string instruments. There was a whole orchestra of more practical instruments scattered around the room but everything was almost darkened in comparison to the stunning, black, concert grand piano that took the eye's attention in the centre of the room.

Drawn to that instrument, the brunet glided into the room towards it and ran his fingers along the dusty top until he reached its front. Placing the candelabra down on the piano's lid, Iruka traced the edge of the fall slowly before pulling it open so that the black and white teeth of the keyboard greeted him. As he brushed his fingers along the keys, the urge to play grew with every waking moment. His fingers twitched at the thought of how such a remarkable piano would sound.

Glancing back at the door, Iruka bit his lip. Just a few notes wouldn't hurt, would it?

* * *

Kakashi flipped open another book and dropped down into his chair at the desk, pulling out a sheet of paper from one of its drawers and a pen from another. He dipped his pen into the little bottle of ink on his desk and was about to write when something stopped him. It was a sound. No, it was a sound, it was many sounds. It was the sound of a sort of key that could only be played on a special type of board.

And the sounds were achingly familiar, threatening to bring tears to his eyes as a memory flashed in his mind, that of a woman sitting on the bench or a grand piano with a man sitting right next to her, watching her as she played the delicate song that wafted to Kakashi's ears where he had been watching from the doorway.

Blinking, Kakashi swallowed around the knot in his throat to find that the ink on his pen had dropped onto the paper in front of him to create a large black dot.

* * *

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ! Hiya guys! I was supposed to upload this for chirstymas but I found out I'm leaving today to go to my uncle's for a mini-family-reunion…..of sorts :3 so here is for you guys!

Happy holidays and an even happier New Year!

Tons of love to all!

~T-Bear


	4. Planning For Trouble

The blond scowled at the raven-boy across from him as he chomped on another bite of his food. "Won't they be worried about you?"

Sasuke looked up from the table which he had been tracing with his fingers, looking back down as he shook his head.

"Why not?"

A sigh, "they know I'll come back eventually."

The silence that followed was not a comfortable one. Naruto pouted at the other boy, having hoped that he would have said more. "So, do you work there?"

"No, I live there." Sasuke raised a brow when Naruto's eyes went wide.

"You're related to that monster-man!?" Sasuke sighed again but in annoyance this time.

" _Kakashi_ is not related to me. He's my guardian." Naruto frowned again.

"What happened to your parents?" it went silent again as Sasuke looked away.

"They're dead."

"Mine too." Surprised, the pale boy looked up to find Naruto giving him a warm smile that made his cheeks burn bright from the heat they transmitted. "I guess we're both orphans then."

With a small smile in return, Sasuke glanced down at the table, saying softly, "Seems like it, Dobe."

* * *

XxX

Gripping the handle with an iron fist, the pale man at the door stared at his hand and willed it to force the handle down, something that wasn't easily done when his heart called, ' _open it!_ ' as his brain screamed, ' _don't do it!_ '

The reasons for that were the notes that so beautifully floated to his ears, a melody that he was so familiar with, he could have played it in his sleep.

It was the hauntingly sweet one that had plagued his nightmares when he was just a boy and was now bringing them back to life. It sounded as if his mother was actually sitting at the keys, playing the bright tune that echoed so uniquely in the dark, the one she would play when he would fall and get hurt or when his father was delayed a day in his journey home.

The memories brought a pinch to pick at his heart and he almost let go of the handle until he steeled himself, remembering that she was dead as he pushed open the door soundlessly.

XxX

* * *

Eyes closed and heart beating in tune with the rhythm of his fingers, Iruka let the notes flow over him and he couldn't help but rock with it, letting it slowly consume him until all he saw and felt were the keys from the grand instrument at his hands and the reverberations humming through him.

Kakashi watched cautiously from where he had silently slipped in, letting his eyes and ears take everything in.

His first assumption that it had been his mother's song playing was false and now wondered how he could ever get the two mixed up. This one, Iruka's, was lighter and clear with sharp intentions unlike the echo from the past he remembered. That one had been dark and mysterious, the sound of it making you come closer to understand whereas this one was something to approach for simply its beauty and precision.

Standing there, the tall man let out a breath he had been holding.

A sour note was hit and Iruka spun around, as if having heard. The younger man's eyes went wide and he sprung back instantly from the bench, causing it to teeter unsteadily. Kakashi darted forward and caught it just as Iruka reached out.

Heart beating with wild surprise and adrenaline, Iruka found himself staring right into Kakashi's bright crimson eyes and his outstretched hands begun to shake with intensity at being shocked to fiercely that made him withdraw. Remembering the setting, he started to apologize profusely as Kakashi slowly righted the bench with an unreadable expression on his face, Iruka backing out of the tight space he had found himself in. "I-I-I'm so sorry, Kakashi. I probably shouldn't be here. I-"

Having seen the brunet turn to leave, Kakashi shot up and snatched the wrist that was slowly slipping out of his reach, "wait!"

Eyes back on Kakashi, the duo froze, both of them hanging on thin air as they waited for the proper words to come to Kakashi.

"You don't have to…..go."

Iruka looked down and bit his lip in hesitation, looking down at the hand that grasped his wrist with a gentle grip, the cloth-like skin much softer than what would be expected. The younger man looked up in uncertainty. "You don't mind….?"

"That you play? No, absolutely not." There was a long silence that hung tensely in the air like a cloud as they watched each other with wavering apprehension. The long while lasting until Iruka saw the shocking eyes locked with his slowly fall into a warm-like calm and blink, finally looking away at the floor and noticing his hand was still grasping the brunet's wrist.

Iruka blinked when the older man release his wrist, briefly forgetting that his wrist was ever held due to the touch being to light and gentle. He heard a small apology as the red-eyed man backed away and glanced at the piano, saying quietly, "you play so well, it would be a shame for you to stop."

So, Iruka sat down quietly with Kakashi sitting on the far bench that belonged to the organ and he continued to play. The older man simply sat in his appointed spot and listened, his eyes trailing over the room that hadn't been in for years, eyes lighting upon the corner nearest to the door as the sensation of nostalgia washed over him.

* * *

XxX

After hearing the door shut lightly behind him, Iruka flicked his head to the side just as Kakashi cast a last longing look towards the doors, hearing soft voices echo down the hall. Kakashi looked up in the same direction just in time to see the ghostly figures of the mansion's staff look up at them with a start and disappear completely, fearful of being caught.

"They haven't heard music in a long time." Puzzled, Iruka turned his head towards the man who had been silent until that moment.

"Well, that would explain why all the instruments are so dusty." Iruka's jaw almost dropped in surprise when the scarecrow-like man's lip turned up and laughed, the sound of that deep voice becoming so alive brought Iruka's own lips turning upward.

"Yes, that would be true," Kakashi chuckled out and wiped at his eyes that had almost started to leak from his laughing. The few words light Iruka had said contrasted so starkly against such the dark atmosphere that had settle, Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle. It dawned on him that he hadn't laughed like that in years and the smile on his face grew along with his confidence that surged with the moment at the smile on Iruka's face.

"Um….how about I finish giving you that tour?" Kakashi's arm sprang up for the second time today, his manners reacting again to the situation, and Iruka took hold of it before he could stick it back against his side in embarrassment.

"You're not going to finish that letter?" the slide on the brunet's lips turned cheeky and Kakashi couldn't help but lick his lips and look down in slight timidity, a smirk of his own coming out to play.

"I will but…" he looked up, the confidence from before returning as he glanced at his guest's face and said, "Guests come first."

"Well, then, tour away!"

XxX

* * *

XxX

Iruka was running at top speeds, pushing himself further and further as he glanced around. He was searching, more specifically hoping. Hoping to find what he had been looking for, he glanced behind him and stopped running when he saw no one was behind him, his breaths coming out in pants.

That was when he slipped out from the alcove he had hid in and swept over to where Iruka was bent over, hands on his knees as he focused on breathing properly. The person reached out just as Iruka stood back up and turned.

"Holy crap! Izumo! You scared me!" the brunet jumped back at the sight of the transparent man appearing right next to him, hand on his heart to calm his thundering pulse. The ghostly-man winced.

"sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," shaking his head, Iruka waved a hand at him and looked away, his eyes scanning the long, dark hall for any signs of life.

"s'okay, I just didn't hear you coming," seeing, Iruka's attention was distracted, Izumo raised a brow.

"You're looking for something?"

"Someone," the brunet corrected as he straightened up and started hurrying down the hall, Izumo close behind.

"Who're you looking for?"

"Kakashi. Have you seen him?" Izumo froze, his feet unable to move as he stared at Iruka, the other brunet noticing he'd stopped and doing the same. "What?"

The odd look on Izumo's face made Iruka wonder what he was thinking about and if what he'd said had been strange enough to make Izumo's face blank like that.

"What's wrong?"

Izumo snapped out of the reverie he'd fallen into and flushed in embarrassment, waving his arms, "Ah! Nothing's wrong! Sorry, I just spaced out…you're looking for Kakashi?"

"Ah, yeah," the unsure look on Iruka's face disappeared when he remembered the goal he had given himself. "I have something really important I want to show him!"

"Oh…well, in that case, he'd be over near the library if you really need him," Izumo thought for a moment. "Either there or in the study."

"Thank you, 'Zumo!" stunned by the nickname, Izumo waved as Iruka took off down the hall and huffed in bewilderment before grinning and disappearing in the opposite direction.

XxX

* * *

"Kakashi!"

Kakashi's head snapped up at his name. What? Who was calling for him?

He swiveled his head to look down the rows of books. Seeing no one but being able to hear the slap of boots on floor, he stood and made his way over to the end of his row. He just poked out as a mass of flesh smashed into him and sent them both flying into the next bookshelf.

"Gah!" Kakashi's eyes went wide once they opened again to watch the shelf teeter uncertainly back and forth. Head spinning, Iruka pulled himself off the taller man who sighed at seeing the bookcase stabilize, his eyes blinking until he no longer saw stars.

"You know…" Kakashi said in slight shock. "That you have to whisper in libraries, right?"

He watched as Iruka flushed and said murmured a sorry as he took the hand Kakashi offered when the silver-haired man had gotten to his feet. Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement, furrowing his brows as he asked, "you wanted to see me?"

"Ah! Yes, I did!" Iruka's face brightened up at his earlier purpose and grabbed the other man's wrist, scampering out of the room with Kakashi in tow, "I have to show you something!"

The taller man, stumbling behind Iruka, asked wearily, "what is it?"

The younger man simply shook his head and continued to pull Kakashi until they reached the music room, confusing Kakashi even more as Iruka left him standing by the piano to race to the long wall of windows.

The blinds were thrown wide and Iruka spun around, grinning as he called, "Tada!"

Iruka blinked at the absence in the room. "Kakashi?"

A hand shot out from behind the grand piano and a wobbly voice called, "over here…."

"A-are you alright?" Iruka hurried over to see the older man collapsed on the ground, hand covering his eyes.

"Y…yes….it's just…. they're photosensitive…. My eyes."

"I'm so sorry!" Iruka gasped and ran back to the windows, about to shut them when Kakashi called out.

"Wait! ...wait…. I'll…..be alright. Just give me a few moments…."

"Are you sure? You don't have to-"

"No, I'll be alright." With a deep breath, Kakashi slowly pulled away his hand, the light stinging his eyes as he tried to pull them open and winced at the pain that stung the backs of his eyes like needles but the pain became bearable once he saw the concern on Iruka's face when the younger man came back to kneel next to him.

Kakashi pulled himself onto his knees with narrowed eyes and looked over the piano just enough to see the brilliant light that emanated from the ground as the thick snow covered the ground like a soft blanket. He couldn't help but be astounded by the colors and movements that he hadn't seen in years.

The stinging grew too overwhelming and Kakashi had to sit back down on the ground next to the remorseful brunet who bit his lip. "I'm so sorry, Kakashi. I wasn't thinking….it was just so pretty and…"

"It's okay," Kakashi smiled slowly at Iruka and said, "thank you for showing me…it really is beautiful."

When seeing Iruka grin at him, his heart fluttered in his chest like a swarm of butterflies and, after Iruka closed the drapes and lit the candles around the room with the box of matches Kakashi had taken to keeping in his pocket, he sat on the bench of the piano and motioned to the instrument, saying, "would you mind playing? My head's hurting but your playing's always helped."

"Really?" the younger man was slightly stunned at the statement. He'd hardly ever heard compliments from others before. Iruka's face lit up and he slid onto the bench to the older man and played.

It was a long while before he stopped and they both left the room smiling, heading towards the study as Kakashi explained he had to send another letter to a man named, Jaraiya, again and need Iruka's help.

Kakashi didn't even spare a glance towards the lonely violin in the corner this time.

XxX

* * *

XxX

With a swipe of his cape, Mizuki spun around from his front door and stalked into town, a grin that was leaning more towards evil painting his features as he strutted down the street.

Everything was just falling into his lap.

After milking the blond boy for information, he was feeling the best he had in days. He had been trying to court Iruka for months, no, years with no luck of even getting a smile in his favour from the pretty brunet but now….

Chuckling to himself, the man practically skipped up to the steps to the Mayor's home and knocked confidently on the door. As soon as the mayor opened the door, Mizuki pushed his way in with grand ceremony as he said, "Mr. Mayor! I have been informed from a reliable source that there is a monster of a man who has kidnapped the beloved schoolteacher Umino Iruka!"

"WHAAAAAAT?!"

XxX

* * *

"This is terrible…" the man was mumbling to himself as he paced nervously back and forth in front of his fireplace, Mizuki nodding all the while.

"I know sir…. With Iruka-Sensei missing, the children will have no chance of getting an education," the other man's head snapped up at that, his eyes widening even more than before.

"There's a monster on our doorstep and the children will be knowledge-less…." Those thoughts ran around the major's head and Mizuki couldn't help but smile to himself before falling back into character with a sniff.

"And Iruka had just agreed to marry me too…." the lie was easily swallowed by the older man.

The major shook his head and said resolutely, "measures must be taken…."

"Sir, I have friends up near the Village of Sound and I think they may be willing to deal with our monster problem," at the sight of the major's lit up face, Mizuki grinned. That was just what Mizuki was waiting to hear, the words that dinged on the microwave of his life, indicating that his meal was perfectly cooked….meal meaning life, of course.

In reality, he didn't give a shit about Iruka. Sure, the guy was cute and smart but none of that really mattered to Mizuki, just having Iruka was going to make the whole town jealous and he would be the man most lusted-after once Iruka was out of the way.

"Really?! That would be a miracle if you could get them to help us battle this monster!"

"They owe me, Sir. They have too much pride to refuse this offer."

"Good thinking, my boy. We'll heave off as soon as we can to find the beast." Mizuki stood and grabbed the older man's hand and they determinedly shook each other's hands.

"And kill it," the enthusiasm in the air began to build up until they were both grinning at each other, the air tense until something popped into the mayor's mind.

"Oh, and save your fiancé, too."

"Ah, yes, Iruka," the momentary lapse of conversation that came to pass was quickly overlooked by the two of them as Mizuki grabbed his coat.

"I'll be off then to fetch my friends." He turned back to the mayor as he said darkly, "I think it would be most beneficial if you also warned the villagers, sir."

"Ah! Yes! Of course!" With those words, the both quickly departed the old man's house and went in their separate directions.

* * *

XxX

Iruka frowned. "I don't know….this arrangement seems pretty important."

"It is." Kakashi sighed and picked up his pen, intending to write but having nothing to actually put down. "I mean, for them to sign the treaty with the other town would mean easier access to both towns. Being the ambassador for the Konoha division, I have to ensure that the treaty is beneficial for both parties and that they're both happy with the signing."

Iruka's frown deepened and he tipped his head back against the neck of the chair he sat in by the fire. "So, in other words, you're a….entertainer?"

"What? No, more on the side of…making sure that they get a good impression of each other."

"Oh…so, a matchmaker, then?" a huff of a laugh escaped the older man and Iruka threw him a grin.

"Yes, I guess you can call me that for the time being." Iruka frowned again and turned in his seat to truly face Kakashi.

"Well, why don't you throw a party or something?" Kakashi's threw Iruka a look that said 'really?'

"Iruka, I haven't had anyone here beside you in years, much less anyone from the outside. I wouldn't be able to hold such an event even if I had." Iruka watched as Kakashi's face turned sad and self-pitiful and he couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for him. The feeling passed as a new one made itself know: the urge to help him.

"Well, then!" Iruka stood, walked over to the desk and smiled down at Kakashi, making the older man shiver at the devilish look. "You'll just have to be the 'mysterious host' who only appears occasionally."

"But I-"

"No buts!" Iruka waved him off and turned his back to the helpless scarecrow. "You're going to host a party and it will be amazing!"

The brunet turned back and flashed Kakashi a wink, "you can even wear a mask if you want."

Kakashi, feeling tired and weary at the idea, slouched in his seat and watched with a small smile as Iruka walked out.

XxX

* * *

MAKE WAY FOR THE PLOT DEVELOPMENT!

Hehehe…you've all been so patient…here is thine reward.

DOUBLE UPLOAD!

On upload for FAIW and one for BFAS! ;D

Enjoy, review and have a nice day!

~T bear


	5. Soul Food

It was not going to be an easy decision, that much was certain, and could be proved by the way Kakashi was pacing back and forth as he weighed his pros and cons.

There hadn't been anyone to the mansion in years.

Everyone who had heard of him knew the spell he was under, meaning they knew the changes he had gone through physically.

He hadn't seen another proper human in years….beside Iruka, of course, but who was to say he was still good host-material.

Years had gone and past since they days were he could entertain people with ease and he didn't know if he still had it in him. Doubt was clouding his vision as he imagined all the things that could go wrong. What if no one showed up at all?

This was a risk that could jeopardize the whole treaty, not to mention his pride.

Kakashi finally took a deep breath and slumped back down into the chair by the fire with a sigh, rubbing at his face with his hands in exasperation.

What to do…what to do?

The question gnawed at his mind like a bad itch until he gave up and left the room. He wandered his own halls aimlessly, passing a few of the ghostly staff members who were milling about when a sharp thought took hold and squeezed his heart.

It was guilt for his poor mansion keepers that began to tilt his decision. They hadn't seen another human being in a long time, being forced to see the same people over and over again just because of him.

The itch came back with a vengeance and moved throughout his whole body as he headed down the hall, a new direction in mind as he searched vehemently through the castle for the one ghostly boy who he was looking for until he finally came across Shikamaru with Asuma in the break room, playing an intense game of chess that quickly ended with Kakashi's arrival.

"You." the finger was pointed at the half-lidded brunet who looked up with a bored look. "I need to speak with you. Now."

With that, Kakashi stalked out of the room and waited as Shikamaru slunk out.

"I'm guessing this has to do with the negotiations, right?" Kakashi nodded tightly. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Convince me that a ball would be a good idea."

xXx

* * *

X~X

Iruka was bored.

This was starting to become more and more common with each day that passed in the mansion, a mansion that was actually more of a palace now that he noticed how grand it was. He had been there for almost two weeks now and he had visited almost every room, cupboard, staircase and hall he could find. The number of things to do was slowly dwindling. He had chatted with almost every maid and servant and could easily say that he felt bad for them as they had to spend the rest of their lives in the mansion, the appearances not being the warmest of looks.

Though, he did hear from a few of the maids that, on the rare occasion they pulled open the curtains, their bodies weren't as see-through and blue-hued as they were in the dark.

Sighing, the brunet began his walk from the front door again, his voice softly saying with each step, "sixty-six….sixty-seven….sixty-eight….sixty-nine…. seventy,"

At that last number, Iruka looked up at his bedroom door and smiled, "one thousand and seventy steps exactly."

Reality came crashing down and the brunet's aura turned cold. "I'm counting steps now…"

Shaking his head, the young man set off down the hall once more, slowly waving the candelabra he held in front of his face, transfixed by its light. The trio of flames flickered with each movement, their light bouncing from one wall to the next until it hit a face.

The brunet almost dropped the candles in shock but recovered quickly enough when his eyes registered that the face wasn't real but that of a painting.

Iruka moved closer so that another face was revealed as well along with the bodies that accompanied them, faces that were beautifully pale and bodies that were clothed in the finest of clothing that could be worn. The woman in the painting had beautiful, long silver hair that was braided and hung down to her waist and had sharp, blue eyes that contrasted with the brown in the man's. She had her hands on his shoulders, his own spiky, brown hair almost brushing her fingers as they both looked out from their standing and sitting positions.

"Hiruko Hatake and Nanami Utsume," the names on the gold pate under the tall painting glimmered as Iruka switched his gaze to another that caught his eye and followed the wall of paintings that depicted more and more of that sparkling, silver hair until the last caught his eye.

The last gold plate flashed _Kakashi Hatake_ while the eyes that stared out were dull and serious. No older than twelve, Kakashi had his father's gravity-defying hair but his mother's pallor, his body straight and cold as he stood behind an empty chair, almost glaring out at the world. It was his eyes that made Iruka's shoulders slump.

His eyes were beautiful, cold but beautiful.

X~X

* * *

XxX

Kakashi inhaled deeply and sighed. After having Shikamaru give him every pro he could think of, Kakashi still wasn't completely convinced and wanted more than anything now to just say yes to the idea but his heart ached and burned every time he turned for the study.

So, as his body moved on its own, Kakashi could only beat himself up over the decision until he found his way to the music room doors where he stood until he gave a smirk and wondered why temptation was only kicking in at that moment. Pushing in the door was so easy and walking over felt like a second reflex to him as he maneuvered through the instruments to the dusty corner he hadn't seen for years.

"Hello, old friend," he whispered before picking up his violin and letting it fit onto his shoulder, the chinrest coming to snuggle his jaw for the first time in what felt like forever and Kakashi couldn't help but feel complete as he drew the bow up, placed his fingers on the neck and played the first note he had in almost ten years.

It was a sad, remorseful note that was heard but barely noticed through the mansion until the next note was drawn from the strings of the instrument everyone else had almost forgotten about. The first to look up was the young brunet in the Family Hall who looked in the direction the sound came from and went slack. With the developing melody, the rest of the castle seemed to come alive, all drawn to the sounds they never thought they'd hear again.

Iruka almost ran to the Music Room to find almost the palace's entire dwellers huddle by the open door with tears that were accumulating in the corners of their eyes; tears that weren't from the heart-wrenching tune that hit their ears.

Suddenly, the songs turned into something crude, as if Kakashi's arms were going haywire and Iruka felt as if he could almost touch the insanity that was pulsing in the air. The whole crowd stiffened in fear right before the madness evened out and molded into something that wasn't any less cooled but felt like…determination, maybe?

XxX

* * *

X~X

Kakashi, panting and sweating from the exertion, let his arms drop and blinked a few times, the world slowly coming back around him until he was half-way to being fully aware. He glanced down to his hands and stood the instrument back on its stand, bow next to it, before he turned. About to leave the room, he saw his brown-haired guest peeking out into the open doorway.

Iruka stared back at Kakashi whose bright eyes glowed in the dark before glancing around him, freezing at how he was the only one there now. Silently calling the staff cowards, he turned back to the older man as he stepped out into the open doorway and Kakashi slowly made his way to him.

X~X

* * *

xXx

Walking side-by-side with Iruka down the dark corridors, the silver-haired man felt light and care-free, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He couldn't help but smile as he nodded, the stiches on his face tightening in a pinch of pain that he had learned to ignore.

Iruka's head perked up as Kakashi said, "I'm taking you up on your suggestion."

"What?"

Kakashi glanced over and said with a smirk, "a ball. It's a very nice idea; gives everyone a chance to socialize a little."

"Really?" The brunet couldn't help but grin back at the older man. "That's great, Kakashi, but…..I thought that you didn't like that idea."

"I didn't," the older man's smirk never faltered as they continued on down the hall, going nowhere but simply wanting to be with the warm presence next to him. He stared ahead with a serene look in his eyes as he said, "At first, I was a little sceptic since I haven't been in contact with anyone other than you over the past few years but I've changed my mind."

When he older man realized he was walking alone, he looked back to find Iruka giving him a funny look, a mix of pity and sadness. "You…..you haven't seen anyone other than your servants?"

The brunet watched as Kakashi's face went slack with confusion at the sound of concern in Iruka's voice. "Well, no….except you…."

"Oh," the weight of the statement fell on Iruka, glancing down at his feet after he contemplated the fact that made him tingle with the importance and he gave Kakashi a small smile as he looked up at the older man who had stopped not too far away. "Well, it's an honor to be your first guest in years."

Face lighting with wonder for a few moments, Kakashi's mouth bent up in a genuine smile that had Iruka fighting to find his breath. "It's an honor to have you here, Iruka."

Iruka mentally cursed his pink cheeks while Kakashi took the younger man's embarrassed turning away as an opportune moment, snapping his fingers and catching Iruka's attention in the process.

A blue haze materialized out of seemingly nowhere and directed itself towards Kakashi, the blur morphing into the form of none other than Shikamaru himself as he asked, "yes, sir?"

There was a knowing smile on the young man's face that Kakashi ignored as he said, "Shikamaru, I need you to gather all the servants and give them the message that there will be a ball held here on the New Year."

"Of course, sir. Will that be all?" Kakashi nodded and rolled his eyes as the smaller brunet's smirk widened into as much of a grin the lazy boy could make.

"Yes, yes," Kakashi waved him off with a small smile of his own as he said in an almost playful manner. "Now go."

With a polite bow, Shikamaru left, the slightest amount of anxiousness in his step.

When Kakashi turned around, he gave his guest a smile again and Iruka couldn't help but think that he could get hooked on that smile and the warmth that accompanied it.

X-X

* * *

X-X

It was the next night that Iruka was able to see the change.

After helping his host with the plan for the grand night, the invited list as well as other matters, Iruka had retired for the night and was lying in bed, his mother's song book open on his lap. Running his fingers lightly over the old cover, he mused about the little things that he'd seen that day and come to realize.

Once the staff had been briefed the day before, the brunet had noticed a change. Not only was it present in Kakashi as he had noticed yesterday but in the staff too. Before Kakashi had found him wandering the halls again that morning and insisted on having the younger man's opinions for the planning, he was able to catch glimpses and glances of the staff, more so than usual.

When he'd asked Izumo about it when they'd ran into each other outside Iruka's room, the young servant smiled and said, 'the house is reviving.'

"It's been forever since we've had anyone visit," Izumo explained as he strained on his toes to push reach one of the higher candlesticks on the shelf. "So, I guess it's only natural that everyone would get a little excited. Here can you hold this?"

"Sure," Iruka grabbed at the outstretch piece of metal and watched as the other man reached for the last one, wondering out loud, "but….I don't get it. Why do you guys seem to flicker in and out of existence?"

"Well," Izumo dropped drown from the ladder with the candelabra expertly and reached out for Iruka's, taking a few moments to consider the question. "In my opinion, it's because of what we're feeling."

They both carried on down the hall as he explained his theory, "I mean, whenever I don't feel so good or when I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone, I'm not really all there but it's the opposite when I'm happy."

"Wrong!" Kotetsu popped out of the shadows and Izumo made a frustrated noise that sounded like a mix between a groan and a hiss as he spun around and glared.

"For the last time, Ko, it has nothing to do with focus."

"Ah ah~," Kotetsu sang, wagging a finger at his friend. "How can you know for sure?"

"I don't."

"Then you have to at least give my thoughts a chance!" the newcomer spun around and directed his attention on the brunet. "What do you think, Iruka?"

The young man shrugged and said meekly, "I'm going to have to go with Izumo's idea."

Kotetsu almost turned to stone at the judgement and the other two laughed as they left him there, continuing on.

Even though he'd been cramped up in the study for most of the day, Iruka was happy. He felt sapped out from the laughs that had been drawn from him that day but didn't regret any one of them.

Setting the book down on the bedside table after one last fond look, Iruka slipped onto his pillow and let his eyes fall shut. He was on the edge of sleep before he realized that he hadn't thought of Naruto all day.

At the thought, Iruka would've almost felt guilty if the notion of his work and so-called 'friends' hadn't popped up. Yes, he missed his little brother terribly and wondered if the boy could survive on his own but he didn't miss the constant flirting and attempted seducing from Mizuki and his lackeys.

That was something that he could never miss even if his heart ached for his little brother. He was happy here, being treated with respect that he wouldn't have in a thousand years back in their old village, and he received warmth and affection from all the people he'd met here; Izumo, Kotetsu, Shikamaru, Asuma, Kakashi…

Kakashi…..Iruka didn't know what to think about him; the man had been kind and courteous from the start and had taken Iruka aback by his lack of arrogance and malice that one would expect from wealthy people. He had been the picture of a true gentleman once the bad air between them had lifted and Iruka couldn't help but feel bad. He had thought that Kakashi would be a cruel and heartless but, like the saying, appearances could be very deceiving. Even though Kakashi was slightly frightening and looked more than unapproachable, he was an amazing man on the inside, so much so that Iruka could forget the man's outside appearance.

Something occurred to the brunet as he furrowed his sleepy brows. Why would such a brilliant man be confined to such a hideous body? It had to have been something that he had done but…. What could that had been?

A pale, painted face flashed into his mind and Iruka wondered if it had been something Kakashi had done when he was younger. Those pitiless eyes were right at the back of his mind as the sleepy man kept drifting off, thinking that he much rather liked seeing the Kakashi now than before if those eyes were anything to go by. Especially the older man's eyes after drifting out of the music room yesterday; his pupils had gone wide and full of sparkling life while the red surrounding him blazed.

Remembering the music that had reached his ears, Iruka wondered if he had been playing from the heart; a tortured soul stuck inside that dark body, yearning for an escape. The young man pained at the thought and felt his heart burn with the urge to make that song turn into one of happiness or, at the very least, contentment.

He wanted to make Kakashi smile, Iruka realized.

Huffing to himself, the brunet pondered over the thought. Although, it wasn't for very long as his eyes slid shut for good.

And, with a yawn, Iruka fell asleep.

X-X

* * *

X-X

Iruka stared.

There was nothing else to do and he was bored, so he stared. To be more specific, he was staring at Kakashi. The older man was flipping through one of his books and Iruka was sitting across from him at his desk.

The brunet had begun to play with an eraser that he'd found sitting around, dropping it from different heights onto the desks as Kakashi worked. Time had passed and had found Iruka's head pillowed by his arm on the grand desk, staring at the other man.

During his staring, he couldn't help but move his eyes cross the pale face; the man's deep, red eyes, the thread that stitched the fabric of his face together and thin lips that were indented by the same black thread. To be honest, Kakashi didn't look half bad.

Kakashi looked up once and looked down, giving the younger man no more than a bored glance before returning to his work.

It irritated Iruka.

"Are you going to stop glaring at me anytime soon?"

That jolted Iruka out of his thoughts, blinking. "Huh?"

The silver-haired man smirked as he let his shoulders and fingers go lax, his face one of amusement. "You've been glaring at me for the past ten minutes."

"Sorry," was the mumble as Iruka looked away and commenced fiddling with the little eraser again much to Kakashi's annoyance.

Finally sighing, Kakashi put down his pen and leaned back, "you're bored."

Statement answered with a small and innocent nod as Iruka looked up, the bottom half of his face hidden by his arm, Kakashi gave a smiled and glanced around the room. Picking up another book from his desk, Iruka watched with slight hope as Kakashi paged through it slowly. A wondering air caught him and he speculated what Kakashi would propose for them to do, if he even proposed anything at all.

Maybe he would suggest they play together?

His hopes climbed with the new idea and, as Kakashi looked up, Iruka stared at him intently.

"Why don't you go outside?"

Iruka lifted his head and blinked, "what?"

"Outside…. You know, that place where there's…. trees… and stuff." Iruka shook his head as Kakashi scratched the back of his neck in unease.

"I know that but…." The younger man leaned forward looked at the older man, inspecting for any tricks or traps. "You're really letting me go outside?"

"Of course," the silver-haired man shifted some things on his desk, saying, "you may go anywhere on my property you like as long as you don't leave."

Iruka's face lit up as he shot out of his seat and almost jumped across the desk in order to wrap the older man in a hug that left Kakashi wide-eyed and slightly confused. Gasping out a 'thank-you', the smaller man raced out of the room. As he watched the younger man take flight, Kakashi relaxed his tensed shoulder slowly as he smiled to himself.

X-X

* * *

XxX

Smiling was how Iruka looked best, Kakashi decided, his breath catching on the window as he squinted out into the bright snow to watch his guest and his servants. A snowball fight had ensued from nowhere as some servants had followed Iruka outside curiously and accidentally thrown one on the unsuspecting brunet.

Kakashi smirked when his staff turned transparent and commenced ganging up on the brunet who ran away, calling "no fair, you guys!"

With one last glance outside, the older man turned away from the window and walked over to his violin. The urge to play was too strong and he couldn't resist once he'd finished up the last of the invitations and sent them out. It was time to relax a bit and what better way than to play as Iruka and his staff were having their own fun outside?

XxX

* * *

X-X

The whole mansion was beautiful, Iruka concluded after taking a tour of the outside. Especially beautiful covered in snow, the sight could take one's breath away.

The backyard was as equally beautiful as the front with the grand and wide marble steps leading up to a first balcony that lead to another set of sets until they reached the main balcony. The balcony connected to the back of the castle, the multiple tall, glass doors acting as a grand entryway.

Leading down to an area surrounded by trees, the steps were outlined by bushes and trees, small mysterious pathways leading into the foliage. It was a great tribute to the splendor of the castle and Iruka briefly thought that his own home was nothing compared to this.

Another snowball interrupted his thoughts and he ran up the steps to escape the cold, moving up onto the first balcony until he heard a familiar noise. Attention caught, Iruka hurried up the second set of steps until he could peer over their edge, kneeling down as he peeked up.

Kakashi's violin could be heard much clearer now and Iruka strained to hear more, smiling happily as he heard a lighter melody.

"He plays beautifully, doesn't he?" Iruka nodded.

"He sure does…. Wait-Gah!" Asuma chuckled at the younger man's reaction to his sudden appearance as the brunet fell back and tumbled down the first set of snow-covered steps.

"Shoot, you okay?" He asked with mild concern as Iruka sat up and shook the snow off his hair.

"My butt's wet now but I'm good." With the other man's help, Iruka stood again with a grumpy look on his face, irritation failing him as his ears picked up on the music wafting down to them. "hey, Asuma…"

"Yeah?" they started to walk back down the steps to where the game was still going on before Iruka asked a question that made the breaded man stop.

"How long have you all been like this?" Asuma turned and gazed up at the other brunet with wonder.

"Around ten years…. Why do you ask?" the brunet shrugged and continued on down the stairs.

"Just wondering…. So, you've been working for the Hatakes' since before that?"

Asuma nodded and pulled out a roll of tobacco from a tin in his pocket, lighting it before saying, "yeah, I've lived here my whole life. My parents worked here before they died and I took over my dad's job."

"Ah…" Iruka nodded, gazing back at the mansion and catching Asuma's attention.

"It's been years since we've heard him play," cold air sweeping by, Asuma pulled up his shoulders against the cold. "I remember he used to play as often as his father would allow before the man passed away but…. After that, Kakashi hardly ever had time."

"Do you know him well?" the older man shrugged as Iruka glanced down at him.

"I guess," the answer left Iruka wondering and he looked back from Asuma to the castle of mysteries as the taller one headed back down. There were so many secrets that Iruka had yet to uncover and so many questions to ponder on.

One last moment of studying the home and Iruka turned, hopping down the steps after the servant just as a great twang filled the air and made them all freeze.

* * *

Guh...finished FAIW and now this is getting close to finishing...

I hope you guys liked this chapter!

Tell me your thoughts on it... Please?

~T-Bear

NEXT CHAPTER: It's the thought that counts


	6. Frustration and Tension

Kakashi twitched, arm having frozen where is was in its upright position, and he finally blinked, looking over at the instrument that had suddenly squeaked. His eyes followed it as he dropped his arms to the chair before they started at the wall, the little hope he had dying once his fingers brushed painfully against a raised line on his skin.

In the distance, he could hear the grand door creak open and started to panic when Iruka called out, "Kakashi?! Are you okay? We heard something weird."

Oh no. He couldn't let Iruka see the mark that was probably more than visible on his face. No, that wouldn't be cool at all…. The brunet would definitely give him a pitiful look and say something along the lines of 'you hurt yourself with your own violin?'

Fearing the worst, Kakashi almost threw the instrument on its stand and frantically ran to the nearest bathroom.

"Kakashi?" the man froze, determined not to turn around to the brunet whose voice sounded from the stairs he'd just passed. "Are you okay?"

Slightly charmed by the concern he heard, he clenched his fists and gritted out, "everything's fine, perfectly fine."

"Really? Then what was that noise we heard?" Kakashi could almost see Iruka crossing his arms in suspicion.

"Yeah," voice cracking, the older man coughed and nodded. "Yeah, all's good."

"Kakashi?" jolting at Iruka's sudden appearance next to him, Kakashi quickly turned away as the younger man touched his elbow, asking fretfully, "Are you okay? You're acting odd…"

Kakashi glanced back at him and looked away just as quickly, saying in low tones as Iruka peered over at him in concern that made Kakashi's cheeks flush, "I'm fine, you don't have to worry."

"Kakashi, you're bleeding."

"Huh?" turning in surprise, the distress Kakashi saw made him halt in amazement. The brunet shifted until they faced each other and studied the seeping line that marked the taller man's face, stretching from his jaw, across the stitches that extended from his lips and stopping at his cheekbone.

"You almost took your eye out," Iruka mused as he dabbed the angry red line with a wet cloth.

"I haven't changed the strings in a while," was the response that made Iruka look up, studying eyes that looked right back.

"You really love playing, don't you?"

Only a shy nod as a response, the young man smiled fondly at him before he continued dabbing until the blood stopped swelling as Kakashi fixed his eyes on the sparkling brown ones that examined his face.

It was odd; the look at least. He couldn't remember the last time someone had looked at him like that and it made something in him ache with a feeling he couldn't put his finger on. This person was so nice and caring, regardless of how he looked, without receiving anything in return. Iruka was so friendly with him that it made Kakashi wonder how a person could be like that even after they'd been damned to live with a monster like him to never see their friends and family again.

"I love you."

The sentence went unnoticed for a while before auburn eyes widened and met Kakashi's, slim jaw dropping in surprise and disbelief.

The words hung in the air, Iruka's hand still pressing the cloth into the older man's cheek.

Their eyes were both wide when Kakashi finally realized his mistake and the older man looked away, saying, "Forget what I just said."

He stood quickly from the stool he'd been positioned on and was in the doorway before he turned back, saying a quickly thanks to the frozen Iruka's back before bolting out of the dimly lit room.

Heart beating wildly and breaking out into cold sweats, he hurried down the hall to the study, fearing that he'd hear steps following him but no such sounds reaching his ears. Slamming the doors shut behind him, he plastered himself to them and waited to hear a knock. It was Asuma's asking what was wrong that made him jump ten feet high.

"Nothing!" he quickly denied before scurrying over to his desk and slunk down into the seat, hiding his face in his hands. With a only a few moments to collect his thoughts, Kakashi dropped his elbows to his knees and tried to breathe normally.

The breathing that sounded more like hyperventilating reached Asuma's ears and he put down the book he'd been holding on the cushion that was still warm from where he was sitting before Kakashi came bursting in. Slowly approaching the younger man, Asuma asked, "What happened?"

In response, Kakashi moved his hands from his eyes and stared out into the dark under his desk.

"I told him that…" the man drew a breath that grated against his tight throat before saying softly, "I love him…"

"What?"

"You heard what I said." Asuma shook his head and sighed at the harsh tone, a frown on his lips.

"Kakashi, I know it must be hard for you to wait but these things take time. You can't break the spell that way."

The words hung in the air around the silver-haired man before they finally sunk in. it was with those words that he realized something, something that he hadn't even imagined would happen.

Blinking open, his eyes stared out across the room and he chuckled to himself in a way that had his bearded companion raising a brow. Kakashi shook his head and leaved the older man out with calm words, "never mind. I just realized something, you may go."

In confusion, Asuma slowly floated out of the room to leave his odd employer with his thoughts, wondering what that could've been about.

X-X

* * *

X-X

What was he doing with his life?

Why had it come to this?

What was going to happen to him?

Why couldn't Naruto have been more direction-savvy?

He wasn't complaining about his current status; no, Iruka was quite comfortable in the castle even though he missed Naruto so much. It was the company that bothered him. Kakashi had freaked him out with that sudden confession and then left him so utterly confused.

Forget about it? How could anyone forget that? Was it supposed to be some weird anti-social version of a joke? What if it wasn't a joke?

It left Iruka's head whirling and tumbling. He couldn't understand anything.

Sure, he liked Kakashi and he even admired the intelligent man but…..love?

That was a whole new subject entirely and it wasn't something Iruka wanted to dwell on.

How should he handle this? He couldn't just brush off the older man like he would with Mizuki if it was a joke and he certainly didn't know what to do if Kakashi was actually interested in him.

He felt so helpless, which was why he hid in his room for the rest of the day and was determined to stay there the next.

Sitting on him bed with his knees tucked under his chin, the young man tried desperately to ignore him growling stomach. Basic necessities were calling out to him since he hadn't eaten the night before. He had hoped one of the servants would find him and he'd be able to ask for dinner but there was no such luck for him.

It was a matter of minute before his hunger became painful, clawing at him insides, and Iruka steeled himself, thinking that he'd simply pretend nothing had happened if he was Kakashi.

Plan made, the brunet grabbed his song book and hugged it to his chest for support as he ventured out into the corridor.

X-X

* * *

Sakura was an amazing medic. She'd taught herself from the books and guides in the library of the mansion and had even snuck out on more than one occasion to sit in on various surgeries and doctoral meetings (not that the doctors had known). She bandaged and healed many of the staff and had even helped their new guest as proof of her amazingness.

Deep down, though, she was a still a girl. She was a twelve year-old girl who was terribly lonely. Sure, Ino and she had been friends since they were kids but it seemed that their love for Sasuke kept getting the better of them, causing them to fight more than not.

Now that Sasuke wasn't around, though, she'd become closer than ever to her old friend.

"I'm telling you, Sakura, Iruka might be all sweet on the outside but he might be a horrible asshole on the inside." Ino drawled out as she took another bite of the ice cream Choji prepared them.

Sakura shook her head whole-heartedly and swallowed. "He can't be! Iruka's way too nice and he hasn't once been mean to anyone here."

"Yeah but, what if it's just a mask and Kakashi actually falls in love with him?" the question left Sakura speechless and she gloomily turned her attention back to her bowl as Ino went on. "All I'm saying is that he might not be the one and that we might not ever be human."

"I wouldn't say that."

Everyone's head flicked over to Shikamaru who slunk into the room and nodded at Choji to make him a bowl too. The girls exchanged confused looks and Ino spun on him. "Oh, yeah? And what makes you say that?"

Shikamaru shrugged and said, "Because the master's already in love with him."

The silence that followed was quietly broken by the little violet-haired girl next to Sakura, "w-what makes you s-say that, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah, how can you say that?" Ino nodded along and stared intently at the boy in suspicion.

With a shrug, Shikamaru sat down next to her and glanced around the table, drawling out, "It's kind of obvious."

Seeing that the others were waiting on a string, he sighed and continued slowly, "Let's face it, Kakashi is as socially awkward as it gets and Iruka is the epitome of friendly and fairness. Put those two together and it's hard not for Kakashi to fall in love. You can tell that he's already long gone easily."

The boy made a gesture towards the door and the others glanced out into the hallway to see a dark-haired woman making her way down the hall, in deep conversation with another woman. Their arms were hooked together as the chatted away, the woman under scrutiny standing out with her bulging belly as she and her friend made their way down the hall in their usual morning stroll.

"Look at Asuma, for example. When he started being in love with Kurenai, he'd follow her around like a puppy and would do anything to make her laugh or smile." the brunet thanked his friend as a bowl was set down in front of him and Choji frowned as the leaned against a close counter.

"Now that you mention it, Kakashi does spend a lot of time with Iruka."

Sakura's eyes lit up when she remembered how they'd always see Kakashi's eyes light up when Iruka was near. "And he talks so much more with Iruka too!"

As everyone pitched in their own observations and facts, there was a warm feeling that grew brighter and hotter in the room. The hope that they might be returned to their normal bodies that they hadn't been in since they were toddlers was contagious and everyone became eager with the idea. That was until the smart boy sighed and interrupted.

"That's all swell but Kakashi falling in love is the easy part. It's Iruka's feelings that we have to worry about."

Ino frowned at her friend and asked, "Why would Iruka be the problem?"

"Because Iruka could either freak out by being forced on or he'd treat it as puppy love."

Choji made a sound of understanding before explaining, "and he'd come to love Kakashi in the family-style instead of the romantic-style."

"There's a good chance of the latter but that would have to take time…. Time that we don't exactly have." Faces paled and hands clenched.

"How much time do we have left before the last petal?"

"Not much, maybe three days at the most."

"So…. we have until New Year's to break the spell…."

* * *

X-X

Iruka was right outside the door, listening to their conversation up until a grave silence fell upon the group.

Was that why?

Was it to break the spell on them?

Was Kakashi just saying he loved Iruka to become human again?

Suddenly, the world seemed to open up beneath him and he felt like he weighed tons, everything around him falling away as he turned and left.

He didn't know what to think.

The kids seemed to all think that Kakashi really did care but… There was a horrible feeling bubbling up that was crying in agony at the thought of being lied to and used.

His hands clenched on the book and he thought angrily, 'Wait, what am I thinking? It's not like I actually care about him.

Do I?'

"Hey," internally swearing, Iruka snapped his head around to meet Kakashi's gaze and gave the older man a fake, crooked smile.

"Hey," he greeted back as Kakashi studied his face. Little did Iruka know, a plan had been formed in Kakashi's head and the older man had been lying wait around this very corner for him.

"Something wrong? You look a little unsettled." The comment made Iruka flush and he looked away, his thoughts growling out that Kakashi knew exactly why he was 'unsettled'.

"Nothing, I'm fine." Kakashi knew Iruka was lying and felt himself wince, knowing that he was the one who had caused such unease. Regardless, he ignored the pain in his chest and continued down the hall, Iruka walking anxiously behind from a safe distance.

Eyes narrowed, Iruka watched the older man with annoyed confusion. What was going on? Why was Kakashi acting like nothing had happened?

The pained feeling came back and Iruka hunched himself over his book, remembering that Kakashi's confession could have been a fake. That thought, though, didn't coincide with the way the older man was acting. If he was trying to use Iruka to become human, wouldn't he be….persuading? or… courting? Whatever the term was, Iruka was ninety-nine percent sure that confessing one's love and then pretending it didn't happen wasn't part of….wooing.

"I just received confirmation from about half of the guests." The older man broke Iruka's thoughts.

"Huh?" Iruka snapped his head up to meet crimson eyes that were now next to him. "Oh, uh…. That's great, Kakashi, really."

Nodding, the taller man smiled proudly and said, "And my teacher's teacher who I've been in touch with over the years also invited himself to stay the night before."

"That's…good." The comment left an empty space that made both of them uncomfortable.

It dragged on, both of them walking side by side as goose bumps and cold sweats broke out. it was a long while before they both stopped and faced each other.

"I'm sorry for earlier," they said in unison before breaking away in apologies, Kakashi motioning for his guest to continue.

Swallowing, Iruka faced the older man nervously, determined to not let any bad air linger between them. "I'm sorry about….earlier….and everything. I mean, for not responding or anything. I was just really sudden and-"

Kakashi cut in, saying before Iruka could finish, "The fault was mine. I shouldn't have sprung that on you so suddenly. I apologize and hope that all can be forgotten."

Acknowledged with a nod, they continued on down the hall, Iruka feeling more awkward than ever and wanting to just die of embarrassment. He still didn't understand! What the heck did Kakashi mean by 'all can be forgotten'? Did he like Iruka or not? It was such a simple thing to answer but he still didn't have a clue to a reply. He was now incredibly frustrated at the older man, why did he have to be such a mystery all the time?!

"Would you like to play with me?"

The question broke Iruka out of his raging thoughts in confusion, "Huh?"

"Play. With me." Kakashi articulated slowly as he gestured to the doors of the music room they'd stopped next to and at himself.

Feeling his cheeks heat up with irritation, Iruka ground out, "yeah, sure….whatever."

As Iruka pushed his way through the double doors, Kakashi couldn't help but give a little smirk as he tasted the brunet's discomfort and ire. It was terribly cute and he felt a nagging urge to rile the younger man even more.

They played together as Kakashi's curiosity about Iruka's rage and the shorter man's annoyance grew. The song had been picked from Iruka's book and they both placed themselves on their respective instruments, Iruka sitting at the piano and Kakashi shouldering the violin he'd strung and tuned earlier, and they began to play. Their music flowed out with the two overlapping each other until Iruka's ears picked up Kakashi's violin climbing in octave, as if to gain higher ground. Frustration seeping in, he changed tone as well, sliding a little down the bench to access those keys.

Hearing the challenge was accepted, the older man grinned to himself as he watched Iruka's back with hungry eyes, fingers dancing over the strings like spiders while Iruka's moved further down the keyboard to match his note as their octaves grew higher and lower until their fingers and arms ached and the candles in the room were down to mere stubs.

It all ended with an abrupt stop, Iruka practically stabbing the keys as Kakashi ripped his bow across the violin's neck. Both panting and tired, they walked out of the room, Iruka having picked up his song book and Kakashi putting down his musical medium. Out of the room, Iruka walked away towards his room as Kakashi closed the doors.

"Good night," Everything had gone according to plan, Kakashi smile to himself as he too walked off but in the opposite direction. He knew for sure, after luring Iruka to play with him to secure his thoughts, that what he called after Iruka was true and real.

The brunet spun around with wide eyes and an open mouth that the older man couldn't see and watched with shock and fury as Kakashi walked away, giving only a two-fingered wave behind him in good bye.

Grinning to himself, Kakashi rounded the corner as he heard Iruka's frustrated snarl.

Who knew saying 'love ya' could get someone so angry?

X-X

* * *

NEXT CHAPTER: where my demons hide


	7. Where My Demons Hide

It had been a long day, that was for sure, and Iruka growled once he woke up the next morning, dreading the day to come already.

Smacking his pillow over his head, he curled in on himself, mumbling under it, "Okay, when I take off the pillow, I'll be home and Naruto'll be whining about breakfast."

Counting down slowly, he threw off the pillow after 'one!' and wasn't surprised to see the same ceiling he'd fallen asleep under last night. Huffing, he rolled over and stared out at nothing in particular, his features taut with annoyance until his eyes focused on what was in front of him and let out a sigh.

He just had to be staring at his mother's book, didn't he?

An ache made itself known again in his chest, the familiar one that always came around when he thought of his little brother and he wondered how the boy was doing.

X-X

* * *

XxX

Naruto pulled a face.

"But you've been staying here all this time! Why leave now?" the blond argued as Sasuke threw on the saddle of the second horse and buckled the straps.

It seemed like time had passed in the blink of an eye from Naruto's point of view. His pride burned to admit it but he'd very much enjoyed the stoic boy's company over the past few weeks even though he more or less took Iruka's place in the home, the Iruka who Naruto missed terribly. With Sasuke there, though, his big brother's absence seemed a little less prominent.

"What?" Sasuke turned to the other boy with a smirk on his lips, asking with intent to tease clear in his voice. "Are you sad that I'm leaving?"

The frown that appeared was enough for Sasuke to turn back to the horse as Naruto called out, "No!"

As the raven-haired boy pulled the horses out of the little stable, the air turned chilly as Naruto said softly, "it'll be awfully lonely though, what with Iruka gone."

Having made it to the carriage, Sasuke sighed and looked back at the younger boy whose eyes had fallen into emptiness, a part of his being able to relate to the being lonely part before he was reminded of someone. "Naruto, remember when I said that Iruka would be alright? Well, I meant that."

The blond looked off longingly over the light hill in the backyard in the direction of the grand mansion that housed the person he cared for the most. "I know….it's just…I miss him."

Sasuke turned back to the horses and continued to fix the last stirrup before he looked back to Naruto, feeling pity for the other boy, "Kakashi isn't a bad guy. To be honest, most of the people who trespass on his land are let go after a few months."

Hopping up onto the seat of the carriage, Sasuke gave one last look towards the boy whose head snapped up, a glimmer of hope shining through, before he snapped the reigns, calling over his shoulder, "later, Dobe."

The grin Naruto gave would linger with Sasuke for miles but the words he heard made a smile appear on his usually stony face.

"You better come back to visit, Teme!"

X-X

* * *

X-X

It was noon before Iruka slunk out of his room, cautiously making his way down the hall to the kitchen. This time, he threw open the doors and strode in, most of the kids looking up from their meals to stare at Iruka. There was quiet for a long moment before a gargantuan growl emanated from the young man's tummy, ensuing chuckles among the group.

"Come and sit down, Iruka," Sakura patted the empty seat next to her and Iruka gladly took it, a plate already in front of him thanks to a fast-acting Choji who took his own spot next to Shikamaru soon after.

"Thanks," the brunet said gratefully before jumping on the food, only half-listening when a loud boy in the corner called out.

"Gosh, Iruka, when was the last time you ate?" Kiba called out with a laugh.

"Don't know," Iruka rushed out as he inhaled his food. "Don't care."

"Well, be sure to eat up then," Ino grinned as she leaned toward the oldest in the room who looked up at her in puzzlement, seeing the great big smile on her face as she announced, "cuz, you're going to help us cut a tree!"

Iruka blinked, "eh, wha?"

X-X

* * *

X-X

Iruka shivered against the cold, pulling the old coat Ino had dug up for him tighter around himself. Trudging through the mass of snow that had fallen last night, he pushed against the white flakes that continued to fall.

He hardly noticed the pale and small girl who was silently….floating nearby him until her ethereal smoke caught his eye. Giving her a friendly but strained smile, Iruka felt his spirits lighten when she gave him a shy smile back and said, "I-It's been forever since we've had anyone to visit."

"So, I've heard." The brunet nodded to her and said as he shifted his gaze over towards the barely visible figures of the other youth her age, "you all seem really excited about the party."

When she nodded, her cheeks dimpling with glee, Iruka couldn't help but feel wonder at how their group flashed with enthusiasm at the prospect of cutting down a single tree.

To him, this time of the year was a time to find other means of income since the school closed for the holidays and to worry constantly about how he'd support both him and Naruto. This time of the year wasn't anything special but mostly more on the stressful side. Traditions in their little family had faded into the past, back to a time when their parents' had still been alive and the idea of actually doing something customary hadn't occurred to them.

Iruka watched as the boys and girls ahead of them chatted enthusiastically, their outlines hardly visible against the snow around them except against the fence and forest in the background. He shivered and a chill ran up his spine, a sliver of something materializing in the pit of his gut. Looking back towards the castle, he ran his eyes up and down the house and bit his lip in doubtfully.

"Hey! Sakura?" the girl turned in puzzlement from the gate as the two stragglers approached them. "Are you sure that Kakashi won't mind if we…?"

He glanced over her at the gate and she grinned at him. "Heh, don't worry, Iruka; Kakashi won't even know we're gone. Besides, everyone knows that the trees on the grounds suck and that the best ones are outside."

That didn't seem like a good justification but Iruka mused over it and thought to himself that it didn't matter if Kakashi knew they left for a little less than an hour to find a tree to decorate the ballroom. The brunet huffed and marched towards the gate, deliberating that the older man would have to find some other form of entertainment other than him. That was if Kakashi wasn't working.

Nodding to himself assuredly at the thought of the many Kakashi-less minutes ahead, he pushed forward towards the gates and pushed them open for their group.

His thoughts said to themselves that it wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with Kakashi but because he didn't want to hear those three deadly words and to feel the weird flippy-floppy feeling again. He didn't want to feel the pain that bubbled up after that initial reaction, the hurt of betrayal. After all, Kakashi could just be using Iruka to become human again if his affections weren't genuine.

Okay, that really hurt.

Shaking his head, Iruka took one last look back at the castle before closing the gate behind him and following the wispy shadows out into the dense and tall forest surrounding the Hatake mansion and its grounds, a hop in his step from the excitement that he was beginning to feel too.

X-X

* * *

It was a very nice day, Kakashi determined. The sun was clouded over enough for him to leave the blinds in the music room open larger than he had the other day and he could see the fluffy snow outside falling lazily to the ground. The wind would pick up soon when the darker clouds on the horizon covered the grey ones above but it was a nice day nonetheless.

Moving swiftly down the hall, the tall man flew up the second set of stairs, up towards his room to grab the suit that Kurenai had promised she'd mend for him. The suit was have supposed to be for him, for the ball, but he'd found it to be way too small for him. So, he'd decided to give to his cute, little guest with help from Kurenai, who was a master at sewing.

He pulled open the door and smiled when he saw the suit on his bed, holding it between his fingers for a few moments before setting it down, the memories that floated up becoming all too overwhelming. Sighing with weariness on his breath, he turned away and moved to the double-door balcony of his room, the curtains fluttering with the wind when he ripped them open.

Sun almost completely gone, the light felt good against the young man's lids and he let himself smile despite the fire that was accumulating behind them, a fire that was diminishing thanks to the fat and white flakes that fluttered down to sit on his face.

Kakashi smiled to himself and was about to shut the doors again until he opened his eyes a crack, ending up being entranced by the beauty before him.

On the third floor of the mansion, Kakashi could see his whole front yard and beyond the gates of his property. The snow that enfolded everything was amazing and Kakashi strained to keep his eyes open long enough to take everything in, blinking almost incessantly. It was all so amazing and Kakashi craved more of it.

Finally, the ache was too much and he closed the doors, glancing down towards the walkway that led up to the mansion briefly before the closed. The glance was long enough for him to make out human footprints and he frowned, wondering who could've made those tracks.

After all, there was no one in the house who could except for him and….

Iruka.

Kakashi froze and thought for a few moments before shaking his head. What was he thinking? That Iruka would just up and leave without a reason? That was just stup-

But he would have a reason, he'd been angry enough last night after Kakashi had bid him goodnight… what it because he was giving off subtle hints that he didn't feel the same and Kakashi just wasn't getting the hint, driving him to leave?

Wait, he was overreacting. After all, Sasuke had yet to come back and maybe he could've made those tracks.

Yes, that was probably it. He nodded to himself as he headed downstairs to find Asuma, his gut churning with unease as he stepped into the doorway of the butler's office near the front door. Asuma glanced up in confusion when Kakashi said with a grin, "Asuma, you should've told me when Sasuke arrived. Now, I'm going to have to look everywhere for the squirt."

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi blinked and frowned.

"So, Sasuke hasn't come back yet? Then whose footprints were they…" the older man's face went cold as he demanded, "Where's Iruka?"

Confuse to no end, the bearded man shrugged and said, "I don't know."

Seeing the look of fear flash in Kakashi's eyes, Asuma jumped to his feet and followed the younger man out into the entrance to watch as Kakashi threw open a tall door, the wind that had picked up and whipped against their faces along with the snow.

Asuma had just enough time to see the clear-as-day footprints before nodding at Kakashi's request, "go get my cloak, please."

Eyes mirroring the icy weather before him, the silver-haired man stood tall and straight before the oncoming gale. His heart hardened in that moment and he said to himself, "this is why you don't open your heart so easily, Hatake."

His cloak was in his hand moments later and he threw it on, hood up, before stepping out into the turbulent white.

* * *

X-X

Iruka looked back, his eyes scanning what little of the small clearing they were located in he could see. He had had an odd feeling just then, as if something had happened, something big.

He quickly went over to where Sakura and Ino were watching the boys trying to get a good grip on the axe that kept slipping through their transparent fingers. The brunet turned to the girls and said, "It's getting pretty windy out, maybe we should head back."

The pink-haired girl simply shook her head stubbornly and stated, "We're not leaving until we get that tree. The wind will die down soon so just stay with us for a little bit longer, please."

Seeing her imploring eyes, he frowned hard and stepped towards the boys, taking the axe from them and saying, "Here, let me."

With one last glance up the giant tree the kids had chosen, Iruka grasped the handle and swung at it, hitting the large trunk hard and fast. He pulled back just as fast and swung again, chips of wood falling off at every hit. He worked quickly, having much experience with chopping down trees already, and the kids watched with wonder-filled eyes a little ways away as he worked.

They started cheering him on at some point and were counting down the final moments until the tree's trunk was cut through. One last hard swing had the tree starting to teeter on its side, Iruka stepping out of its apparent path and turning towards the kids to grin at them, feeling a sense of accomplishment surge forward.

Chapping wildly, the youngster were about to step up when their eyes suddenly became wide, mouths falling open and about to scream out that had Iruka frowning and turning his head just in time to see green and snow before the world went black.

Everything was dark. Frowning, Iruka fought his way through the black waters that were surrounding him and keeping him from understanding the muffled calls that grazed his ears.

It pushed down harder on his but he reciprocated and threw all of himself on it, breaking down the door that was in his way. Opening his eyes a crack, he was able to see only green; green and brown prickly things that were way too close for comfort. He jolted awake at the sound of the kids' voices and realized that he wasn't under the covers in his room but surrounded by pine.

"Iruka!" Sakura called out, trying her best to push aside the branches of the tree that had fallen on the brunet. Ino was copying her movements with no more success than she had, their fingers unable to grasp the trees no matter how hard they tried. Finally, Ino stumbled back.

"Fuck!" there was tears in her eyes and Sakura reached out to snatch the other girl's hand.

"We can't give up, we have to try harder!" she called over the howling winds and Ino nodded, her blond strands whipping against her face as she did so. The green-eyed girl turned back to the tree and focused all the energy she had on making herself as solid as possible, sweat beading on her forehead as she and Ino slowly pried the branches apart enough to make out a brown head.

Shifting his head, Iruka heard a call and jerked his head up towards the noise. A sharp pain stabbed at his back and he became aware of the screaming agony that his back was in. compared to this, the scratches he'd gotten on his back when he'd fallen were nothing and his whole body moaned at each movement he made, the pressure on him almost too much for his body to handle.

"S-Sakura…" he whimpered out, turning his head up to see the girl's eyes shimmering with tears.

"Don't worry, Iruka, we'll get you out!" she called, turning her attention to the boys who were frantically trying their hardest to pull the giant tree up.

Iruka tried to take a deep breath and failed, coughing as his lungs and back ache from the weight. Vision going blurry from pain, the brunet blinked rapidly in an attempt to shoo away the stars that were fluttering on his eyes. Gasping for breath, he was about to black out when he heard something.

Sakura looked up from her task when Ino yelped, eyes going wide when the dark figure of their master became visible.

It wasn't the way the air around him gleamed with fury that was a thousand-folds deep or the way his body's lithe movements betrayed none of that rage but it was in the way his crimson eyes flashed under his hood.

Backing away with shaking shoulders, Sakura watched with frightened awe as Kakashi stepped forward and lifted the heavy tree without even grunting.

Lungs able to move once again, Iruka gasped painfully for breath and doubled over onto his side in the snow, curling himself up around his stomach as pain coursed through his midsection. Panting sorely and coughing, he glanced up to see those ruby eyes and winced. As Kakashi bent down, Iruka flinched, a move that was ignored, and the older man lifted him into his arms with frightening ease.

With the press of the older man's cloak against his cheek, Iruka watched as Kakashi's hood fell back when he turned, exposing the tension in his face, tension that made Iruka shiver and ask, "Ka….Kashi?"

As if he didn't hear, Kakashi continued back toward the mansion, leaving Iruka to feel cold all over even as he grasped the cloak and curled in closer to the older man's heat.

X-X

* * *

Setting down the brunet gently on his bed, Kakashi turned and addressed the pink-haired girl who had been following them, "tend to him,"

As he left the room Iruka called out, "Kakashi!" but the cry fell on deaf ears and the older man was gone, leaving Sakura to silently work on his back again.

For the longest time, things were quiet as Iruka stared blankly out his window into the white whirlwind outside, wondering how things had become like this.

He remembered Kakashi's glacial eyes and shivered.

He'd never seen Kakashi like that. He never wanted to see Kakashi like that. That had been…terrifying. It was as if Kakashi's soul had somehow vanished and left nothing but an empty shell. And it frightened him.

"You should've told me," Asuma said from his place by the door, making the young girl flinch.

She said softly as she tied up the last bandage, "I'm sorry,"

Iruka turned his head and saw the tears pooling in Sakura's eyes, sitting up as Asuma stepped forward and placed a hand on the girl's shoulders. "It's alright. I never thought I'd see that side of him again."

"Again?" remembering the painting he'd seen of the younger Kakashi, the brunet shivered at the thought that those were the same eyes. The painting had been an understatement at how sharp they'd been.

Shaking his head, Asuma lit a cigarette and shoved his hands into his pockets, the look on his face saying heaps more than what was coming from his lips. "Kakashi used to have that look on his face all the time before all this happened."

A hand was pulled from his pocket and Asuma studied it as he continued on, "he isn't the most self-confident person on the planet and he hardly trusts anyone. Even after all these years, he hardly trusts his own staff members. The slightest slip and you've lost his trust for good."

That's why you caught a glimpse of his old self earlier," Iruka swallowed against the knot in his throat.

"So, he doesn't trust me now?"

The older man chuckled and shook his head. "I doubt that. You're probably one of the most trustworthy people he knows."

With a soft look, Asuma said gently, "I'm sure that once he understands the situation he'll be back to his normal self."

Nodding as the two others silently left the room for his to have a few moments alone, Iruka looked away, towards his window that looked just how he felt inside.

* * *

X-X

Been away, so I haven't had much time to myself.

NEXT CHAPTER: The Two Best F Words


	8. Blood, Bone and Ash

Sasuke looked out of the carriage and determined it was that the snow wasn't falling as heavily or fast as before, disembarking from the cabin to seat himself back atop the in the driver's seat. Cracking the reigns, the vehicle jolted forward as the horse trotted forward.

The young man had had to wait out the storm as the wind had gone up to hurricane-strength levels. As he was not too far from the castle, he had decided to take a break and now he was on the move again, the horses trotting forward along the road towards the place he had come to realize had been his home.

The realization had startled him a bit at first but turned out to be a quite logical assessment. Thinking about it now, though, he knew that his home was lacking a few….exuberant bodies.

Smirking to himself, he shook his head and turned his attention back onto the road ahead of him, his eyes drawn to a bulky figure.

As he got closer, the outline became clearer and his eyes went wide in realization and confusion.

What was his teacher doing with a huge pine tree?

* * *

X-X

"Want to explain?"

Having stepped down from the cab, Kakashi wiped again at his bleeding eyes with his cloak and sighed, "Long story, Sasuke."

The younger man wasn't pleased, as shown in the way his permanent frown deepened, but Kakashi ignored the look he got and untied the ropes that tied the tree down to the roof of the carriage. "How about you help me get this down instead of just standing there and watching?"

XxX

* * *

XxX

The room was quiet, quiet enough for Iruka to hear his own heart beating loudly in his chest. Twitching uncomfortably, he rolled onto his side only to sit up when he heard steps coming towards his room from down the hall. With every passing moment, the footsteps got louder and louder until they were right outside his door.

A polite knock had Iruka saying softly, "come in."

When Kakashi stepped inside, the brunet felt himself relax a little at the sight of those eyes and how they'd gone back to their liquid-heat state. He watched intently as the older man closed the door behind him and walked over to sit down on the edge of the bed, back to Iruka.

After a few long moments of Iruka simply sitting there, watching the rise and fall of Kakashi's shoulders, the other man finally spoke. "I was worried."

Heavy with guilt, Iruka's eyes fell and he looked away, "I didn't mean to make you worry. I'm sorry."

"You're okay now, so everything's alright." Seeing that the older man was about to stand up Iruka snapped his head up.

"Kakashi!" he snatched out and grabbed Kakashi's sleeve, stopping him from leaving. "I…I wasn't going to leave."

Unbeknownst to the younger man, Kakashi smiled grimly, a weight lifting off his heart. Without looking at Iruka, he grabbed the hand that was holding his shirt and squeezed it, feeling the reassuring warmth from Iruka's palm against his and the tender grip of the other's fingers. "I know. Thank you."

With that, he left, cape fluttering behind him, and left Iruka to close his eyes as he fell back against his pillows. As he curled up in sleep, he kept a hand tucked firmly against his heart, the hand that continued to feel Kakashi's grip even as the brunet slept.

X-X

* * *

X-X

"I'd like you to meet him later, when he wakes up." Kakashi said as he and his young apprentice played cards in the Sanctum.

The Sanctum, unlike any other room in the house, was at the dead-center of the mansion and had a sky-light despite being on the second floor. Thanks to mirrors and chimney shaft, light almost continually poured in through the stained glass above their heads, sending rainbows of colors bouncing off the walls and bookcases around the room.

With its brick walls and heavy, steel-enforced door, the room was practically a fortress and used to be used for whenever there were attacks on the mansion so as to keep important people safe. Kakashi remembered spending a lot of time here as a child, not for protection but simply to play his violin in peace without one of his teachers interrupting him.

Now, the room belonged to Sasuke as the young man's little sanctuary away from all the other kids who would gladly disturb the boy's solitude. Having shown up on Kakashi's doorstep when he was four, the poor boy had no family left after his whole clan had been brutally murdered. Thanks to a nursemaid, Sasuke had managed to run away before he could be killed, the nursemaid dying of blood loss with one last instruction. Her finger had pointed his was to Kakashi's castle and the boy had been living there ever since, coming and going as he pleased and taking lessons in writing, reading and other necessities from Kakashi himself.

Nodding in response, Sasuke put down another card and said, "You really like this man."

"How-?" the look Sasuke gave him was one that said 'really?' and it made Kakashi shut his mouth instantaneously.

"You went outside into the sunlight, essentially causing yourself so much ocular pain that your eyes started bleeding." Looking away, Kakashi slapped his hand of card on the table and stood, leaving the room as Sasuke said, "Sure, I'd like to meet this Iruka."

-X-

* * *

-X-

"We're really sorry, Iruka. We didn't mean for you to get hurt." Sakura said as everyone else nodded and agreed.

Kiba nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, we're really sorry, Ruru. If there's anything we can do, just ask and we'll do it."

Chuckling at they're sincerity, Iruka shook his head, "it's alright, you guys; I'm fine."

Some insisted and made Iruka blush. They were all so sweet and caring that Iruka had to shoo them away when Kurenai came to ask for the kids' help with the ball prepping. Watching as they hopped away to help, Iruka couldn't help but smile and think that they were just like his students back home.

Still smiling, he turned only to almost jump in shock, squeaking in fright and hopping away a few steps from the dark-haired boy who seemed to have appeared in front of him.

Sasuke stared for a few moments. The corridor was now empty and it was just the two of them. It was just the two of them, staring back at each other.

"Hello," Sasuke's voice startled Iruka but not as much as Iruka's reaction startled him. When the man reached out and poked the boy's shoulder tentatively, Sasuke almost jumped in surprise, turning to confusion when Iruka broke out into a huge smile.

"Y-you're real!" he exclaimed, the smile never faltering. The boy almost rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore the outburst and stretch out his hand instead.

"My name is Sasuke," Iruka's mouth shrunk into a small arc and he shook the young man's real, touchable hand. "I take it that you're Iruka?"

"Yup," nodding enthusiastically, the brunet gave the boy a wide grin as he said, "it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," was the reply before a voice called from further down the hall.

"Oh, I see you've run into each other," it was the way Iruka reacted that caught Sasuke's eye; how the brunet's smile disappeared and the way his eyes grew distant. Looking towards his teacher, Sasuke wondered what could've provoked such a response, the brunet had been so bright a few moments ago.

Dressed in a black dress shirt and matching pants, Kakashi seemed to have been part of the darkness before he stepped into the light despite the color of his hair and skin. Iruka tensed and looked away once he saw the strained smile on the older man's lips. "Iruka, this is my apprentice Sasuke. Sasuke, this is the guest I was talking to you about before."

"Apprentice?" Iruka looked up, curious.

"That's right. Sasuke's been under my tutelage for the past….how long has it been?" Kakashi turned his bright eyes towards the young man who shrugged. "Six years?"

"Seven," Iruka watched with an anxious amusement as Kakashi smiled genuinely and stood straighter like a proud peacock, bringing a smirk to Iruka's own lips. Watching the two of them, Iruka couldn't help but notice how comfortable they were with each other by the way their conversation flowed on, the brunet getting lost in it and loosing track of what they were saying.

"Iruka?"

Blinking, Iruka focused, "huh?"

"I was saying that our new guest will be arriving here a little later than planned." Kakashi explained, their eyes meeting. "I was wondering if it was okay for dinner to be moved back a bit so that we could all eat together."

"Oh," nodding, Iruka blushed at Kakashi's consideration and looked away. "That's fine with me."

"Great," the three of them continued down the hall, walking in silence together with Kakashi on one side of Sasuke and Iruka on the other. The three of them observed as the maids and other servants hurried around down the halls, fixing some last-minute details, until they arrived at the music room where the doors had been flung wide along with the doors of the room across the hall.

The room across was the ballroom and Iruka's eyes went wide when he saw how beautiful it was when lit, the light from the chandeliers bouncing off the mirror-covered walls and refracting off the black, granite floor, sending multi-colored light flying across the room and into the hall.

Spinning around, Iruka followed the beams of light into the music room where his jaw continued to be unhinged in amazement. The whole room had been cleared out of all the instruments, including the piano, and the sliding glass doors had been pushed off to the side to reveal the whole expanse of terrace and steps that led down to the forest floor below, maids sweeping away the freshly fallen snow.

On the terrace was a huge metal bowl in which servants were dropping sticks and branches into to make a fire pit, their misty bodies unable to carry much, and, in the music room, a huge dining table had been set up at the centre.

Iruka stepped into the room, marveling it as Sasuke and Kakashi followed. Their steps echoed across the rooms along with the noises the servants made and Kakashi smiled, a warm feeling of nostalgia accompanying them. It had been years since he'd seen the place so…alive.

While Iruka was marveling the brilliance of the room, Sasuke tilted his head at the doorway for his teacher to follow, the two of them heading out into the cold air of midday. They stood at the edge of the steps and watched the sun move higher in the sky above the snow-covered trees as the servants scurried about the yard with gardening tools and shovels, breaths coming out in puffs of steam from everyone's mouths.

"Do you think he's the one who will break the spell?" Sasuke asked and Kakashi sighed in response, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I think that's a question that everyone wants answered right now, even me." the boy looked over at the man and frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I want him to be the one regardless of the amount of time left." The silver-haired man looked back towards the brunet who was chatting happily with one of the maids and smiled fondly. "Not just because I want to be human again but because I want them to be human again as well."

It was easy to tell with the look in Kakashi's eyes that those words weren't the only reason and Sasuke knew his teacher well enough to know that there was something else.

"You love him." Sasuke's observation was confirmed when Kakashi's eye narrowed with what was probably grief.

Before they had time to say anything else, Asuma called the two of them over next to him and Iruka. "Hey, Sasuke, some of the servants are having a hard time moving the grand piano to the spare room on the other side of the mansion."

Giving Kakashi a quick glance, he said, "I'll handle it."

"Thanks," Asuma called after him before leaving the other two to themselves.

The older man looked away and shuffled his feet as Iruka played with a stray thread on his shirt. Grasping what little courage he had, Kakashi stepped outside fully and offered Iruka his arm as he asked, "walk with me?"

Looking up, Iruka gave a small nod and took Kakashi's elbow. They moved down the steps to the forest floor and Kakashi directed them onto the main forest path that stretched away from the mansion, now visible thanks to the servant's sweeping. They walked for some time, the silence between them stretching on for the longest time as they followed the path through its twists and turns.

It gave Iruka time to wonder.

He peeked out of the corner of his eye at the man next to him, pondering as to what was going on behind those bloody eyes.

-x-

* * *

Kakashi could feel his guest's eyes on him and swallowed hard. Everything was happening so fast. Tomorrow would be his last chance. Truth be told, Kakashi had been happy with the way things had been going but time was short. His options were thinning out.

Iruka bit his lip and stopped walking, his hand slipping off Kakashi's elbow. The older man stopped after a few paced and braced himself as he turned back to the younger man. Taking a deep breath, the brunet looked at Kakashi straight in the eyes as he asked, "Kakashi, what is the spell?"

Their eyes stayed locked for the longest time before Kakashi turned and said, "It's a long story."

"I've got time," Iruka said, causing the older man to turn back around and meet his eyes again.

"It's really depressing." Kakashi took a step closer.

"I think I can handle it." Iruka did the same.

"It's doesn't involve bunnies, rainbows or unicorns." The older man crossed his arms in a scrutinising but playful fashion.

Iruka couldn't help but scoff lightly at the statement and smirk as he took a last step forward, bringing him inches away from Kakashi. "I think I'll survive."

That close to each other, Kakashi tried not to move or blink, to stay there forever in Iruka's warm eyes. He would've too if common sense hadn't kicked in and he blinked.

"Alright then."

With that, Kakashi turned and stepped off the path and into the woods, Iruka's boots crunching lightly on the sprinkling of snow as he followed.

"My ancestors have always been rich, honorable and at the top of the social ladder. So, when my mother died, it was only natural for my father to hire a nanny to raise me while he continued his work." Kakashi started as they cut through the small, winding path that Kakashi led them onto. "He worked as a counselor for the King and was chosen as the King's successor before the man died, so, it was more than understandable. He was a good father, though, and tried to make as much time for me as possible. I looked up to him and admired him despite the fact that I almost never got to see him."

Iruka almost tripped over a root and straightened himself just in time to hear the change in Kakashi's voice.

"When I was four, I received my first violin from one of my aunts and started to play. When my father found out, he scheduled that I play for him every evening before my bedtime. He told me that no one in the family was as skilled as I was in an instrument and that the only person who was even remotely good had been my mother." The older man looked back sheepishly and said with a grin. "Of course, my mother only knew how to play one song on the piano, so, she wasn't as amazing as you are."

Seeing Iruka flush with embarrassment gave Kakashi the strength he need to go on with the rest of his story and he pushed out into the light of the day, the woods disappearing as the two of the stepped out into a small grove next to the mansion.

It was the corner of the steps leading up to the terrace and the mansion itself, a corner surrounded by trees and brushes from all sides, even above. Vines and roots had grown up and over the arcing bamboo trellis that sat right in the corner.

While Iruka was still gazing at the sight, the older man next to him stepped forward, going over to sit on the sun-covered, low stone bench placed right in front of the trellis. Unsure of what to do, the brunet moved forward as well until he could see the tall and slim pipe of granite that sat under the trellis' shade. Almost a fist in diameter, the monument couldn't have been more than five feet tall but it stood out in the little sanctuary due to the glittering black stone it was made out of.

"But, a few months after his rise in power, there was a terrible plague that rolled in." Kakashi continued, bringing Iruka back down to earth.

"That was the one that killed my parents, right?" Iruka wondered, remembering how he used to sit by his parent's bed every day until one morning he found them cold under their sheets. He could clearly see their blue lips in his mind even though it had been years ago. A small, bright face with teary eyes popped into his mind. "And Naruto's?"

Kakashi nodded grimly. "I think so. My father tried everything in his power to stop it. He even spent most of the country's money on trying to find a cure, which led to the horrible depression soon after. He cured the plague but the country hated him for spending their money, regardless. He was shamed and ridiculed. He was the most hated king of all time."

Sitting down beside him, Iruka watched the man sigh and glance over at him. "He killed himself soon after they took him down from the throne."

The silver-haired man looked over towards the monument and Iruka followed his gaze towards the last of the names engraved on it. The brunet felt his shoulders drop, remembering faintly that the last king's name had been the same as Kakashi's father, "Sakumo Hatake."

"Yeah," the soft whisper of an acknowledgement caught Iruka off, the grief behind his tone and eyes more than enough of an indicator on what was going on beneath that stony expression. "From there, I guess everything just went downhill."

Iruka watched as the taller man shifted uncomfortably, a look of pain on his face. "My only friends were killed in an attack on the borders and my teacher was killed as well a few years later. Things just seemed to get worse and worse so I closed myself off and pushed everyone else out. I became a spoiled brat who everyone hated to work for and I hated everyone for not caring. So, when an old woman came to my door and asked me if she could take shelter from the storm outside in exchange for a flower, my twelve year-old self slammed the door on her face."

The wince Iruka tried to hide made Kakashi chuckle and he turned his eyes up to the sky, his eyes wincing in pain from the light pouring down on them. "Turns out she was Lady Tsunade, a very powerful witch, and she said that, since she saw I had no love in my heart, she would teach me how to be grateful by turning me into…"

Eyes following the rise of Kakashi's hand, Iruka exhaled in a small huff, watching the stitches around Kakashi's knuckles glimmer in the light. His eyes moved up to the older man's confused face when the hand dropped, Kakashi furrowing his brows in confusion at the reaction. Looking into those kind eyes, Iruka gave a small smile as he said, "that's funny…"

Before the older man had time to ask, the brunet looked down and touched the hand that had been raised earlier gently. "Because you're not at all like that, now."

Cheeks flushed and the hand clasped around Iruka's, Kakashi's eyes reflecting back affection that sent chills down the younger man's spine.

"Ruka," the way that his name was said brought Iruka's cheeks to flush almost as red as Kakashi's eyes and they both smiled.

"Sir!" Iruka snatched his hand away just in time for Izumo to trot out from another path.

Huffing, the servant nodded to him and addressed the older man whose face was still flushed pink. "Sir, Lord Jaraiya has arrived."

"Really?" Iruka marveled at the way Kakashi broke out into a grin and stood.

"Yeah, Asuma's chatting with him in the drawing room." Izumo gave them both bright smiles and headed back through the way he'd come, the two others following after him back to the stairs leading up to the terrace. Iruka gave a brief glance back towards the small path that he'd noticed a few days ago before spinning around and hurrying to catch up with the other men.

X-X

* * *

While Kakashi walked straight into the room, Iruka hung back, watching as the prince was greeted by large man who stood from his chair when Kakashi entered. Taking the younger man up into a crushing hug, the long-haired man grinned and boomed out, "Kakashi! It's been forever, kiddo. You shouldn't have waited this long to have a party."

"It's good to see you, too, Jaraiya," Kakashi said with a smirk. "And we only saw each other a few months ago."

"Ah, that's right," they laughed and Iruka scratched at his other arm, awkwardly looking away when he started to feel as if he was intruding.

Suddenly, the eldest stopping chuckling and his face went slack when his eyes alighted upon the young man near the door.

* * *

XxX

Mizuki smirked at the Mayor's terrified expression and patted one of the brothers on the belly, saying, "Don't worry, mister Mayor. They don't bite."

"Oh," the man's eyes twitched and his lips turned up into a strained smile. "Well, I thank you for coming to help us deal with the problem."

The white-haired man smirked at the man who was practically trembling before his friends and the bunch of bandits who had come to help with the 'problem'. He smiled at the older man and took his leave, exiting the conference building and hopping onto his horse.

He rode off until the next town, sliding down next to his horse and the apothecary's shop.

XxX

* * *

NEXT CHAPTER: Weight of Affections


	9. Weight Of Affections

Iruka blinked.

Jaraiya blinked.

Even Kakashi blinked.

They all stood there, looking at each other with big eyes until Iruka finally flushed and smiled as he said, "uh…hi,"

That's when the old man burst out laughing, heading over and giving Iruka an even bigger hug than Kakashi had received, lifting the brunet off his feet momentarily. Iruka was put down back on his feet and Jaraiya held his out at arm's length, studying him as he said joyfully, "I didn't believe him when he said he had a guest but… here you are."

Iruka's cheeks burned even brighter and he glanced over towards the silver-haired man who was smiling at them happily, catching a sparkle of bliss in his eye. He turned back to Jaraiya and introduced himself politely, the older man doing the same.

"So, where're you from?" Jaraiya asked politely as they moved further into the room.

"Not too far from here, actually; in Konoha." Iruka watched as a look of curiosity flitted across Jaraiya's face before it got lost in a smile.

"Ah, yes, they're all very welcoming down there."

"Jaraiya's been traveling all over in hopes mapping the world." Kakashi explained with a smirk on his lips.

"Really?" the white-haired man nodded at Iruka's inquiry just as Asuma re-entered the room, Iruka blinking in surprised, not having seen the bearded man leave.

"Dinner's ready." He said and the three of them moved to the dining room.

X-X

* * *

-X-

"But does it really matter?" Kakashi asked Jaraiya from his spot between the two men. "I mean, the two clans hate each other and a treaty between the two would be useless."

"Not unless more than one treaty would be signed at once." Jaraiya said as he sipped at his glass. "That way, the Akatsuki won't have to intervene."

The younger man nodded and thanked the maids when they cleared their empty plates, turning towards the teacher who'd done the same, the smile still on the youngest face.

"You know, Jaraiya, Iruka here is a lovely pianist." As one man's face lit up with interest, the other's flushed with embarrassment.

"Kakashi," Iruka hissed in discomfort, making Kakashi grin with glee.

"Oh?" the other man sung, his attention now completely focused on that topic. "So you're musician?"

Before Iruka could say anything, Kakashi jumped in by saying, "one of the best I know."

All faces except Iruka's lit up and the brunet found himself being dragged to the spare room in which the piano had been stored. He was dropped onto the bench and politely forced to play. Not that he really minded, he'd been itching to play anyway.

Kakashi smiled when Iruka touched the keys, watching how his teacher's teacher's shoulders relaxed with the beautiful notes that the brunet produced. His headache was put off for the moment, the light throughout the day having put a lot of strain on his eyes, and he enjoyed the song until the last note died.

Iruka turned and blushed at the praise he received from the white-haired man, his face falling when he saw the tight pain that was visible in Kakashi's face. "Kakashi, are you okay?"

"Huh?" the silver-haired man looked up and gave a thankful smile when he saw Iruka was standing up and watching him with cutely concerned eyes. "Ah, sorry, I just have a headache."

"What? Have you been out in the sun?" Iruka's eyes grew larger when he remembered their walk thanks to Jaraiya's words.

"Yeah," Kakashi smiled cheekily and rubbed at the back of his head, noticing the way Iruka bit his lip. "I had a good time today, though, and I don't regret it."

Jaraiya chuckled and said, "Well, maybe you should go get some sleep; big day tomorrow."

"I think I'll do that." He looked back to Iruka and winked, making him blush.

Iruka looked away, hearing Kakashi's goodnight and feeling the man's hot breath against his cheek as he said his goodnight. While that gave him shivers, it was the whisper after that stopped his heart and he froze in place.

W…what was that? Had Kakashi just said that? Or was Iruka just hearing things?

Watching the older man leave, Iruka shivered again. No, Kakashi had to have said it. Once is a mistake, two is an accident but three is on purpose.

"Well," Iruka snapped his head to Jaraiya who stretched his arms out and yawned. "I think I'll hit the hay too. Thank you for playing for us, Iruka. You're skills really are amazing."

Grinning, Iruka thanked the man and wished him pleasant dreams, dropping the smile and falling onto the bench with a sigh once the man had gone.

He rubbed his face and exhaled harshly, setting his elbows down on his knees as he held his face and taking in the silence for a few moments of peace. He stayed like that until he heard a small knock at the door. He looked up to see onyx eyes staring at him from the doorway.

"Oh, Sasuke," Iruka made to stand but the boy shook his head.

"I wanted to speak with you." he stepped into the room, going over to sit next to the man. "I wanted to inform you on how Naruto's been doing."

"You…you know him?" the boy nodded and continued.

"Yes, I've was staying with him at your home. I hope that's alright with you."

The brunet nodded enthusiastically and said. "No, no, it's completely fine by me."

Sasuke nodded and looked towards the door. "He's doing good. He misses you."

Another nod from Iruka and the whole room went silent, the two of them sitting there for a few minutes as Sasuke contemplated how alike Naruto and Iruka were. They both had the same sunny smiles and the same golden attitude that was like a refreshing drink on a hot day. The only differences were that Iruka was older man could play the piano.

"You play very well." Sasuke complimented before he got up and was about to walk out when Iruka called out to him.

"Wait!" the boy looked back, intrigued, and Iruka inhaled. "W….why did you watch over him? I mean, Naruto's not the most polite."

"He's not too bad. He was actually very kind." A quirk of Sasuke's lips went unseen by the brunet and the young man said, "Kakashi sent me to keep him company."

"Oh."

Sasuke watched curiously as Iruka bit his lip and thanked him for answering the question, the reaction catching his attention. He nodded and left the teacher, wondering if that something he saw in Iruka's eyes was what he thought he saw….. No, it couldn't have been. He shrugged it off and continued down the hall.

_X_

* * *

+X+

Iruka fell back onto the bench and rubbed his arms, his eyes downcast and unfocused in thought. He didn't know what to think anymore.

After hearing about Kakashi's spell for the first time, he thought the man was just playing with his feelings but after today…

Groaning, Iruka threw his head back until it hit the piano, his back almost touching the keys.

He wanted to believe Kakashi's feelings, he really did but….

Turning his head, he stroked the keys with the tips of his fingers, the piano silently calling to him and pleading with him to play again.

Iruka sat up and went to close the door before he dropped down properly onto the bench, holding his fingers over the keys in preparation to play one of the songs his fingers knew automatically for when he was frustrated or angry.

But he didn't play; not yet.

There was something holding him back, telling him that his hands should be somewhere else. The voice was so strong that Iruka pulled his hands back and curled them close to him.

And then it hit him like lightning, his fingers snapping to the right position and coming down. That note prompted another and another until Iruka's hands were moving by themselves, pausing at the right moments and picking the tune back up again where his heart called for it.

All the while, Iruka's eyes were closed.

It wasn't him that was playing but something inside, something that whispered spells onto his fingers to make them dance like they were.

But Iruka wasn't paying attention to that; it didn't matter. All that mattered was if what the music was telling him was right of not.

That mattered was settled when his hands finally stopped, the last note releasing him and revealing that it was true.

And Iruka smiled, biting his lip at the same time. He dropped his head to the piano's top and whispered out, "thank you,"

It didn't matter who he was thanking, the piano itself or the one who had hypnotized his hands, because he was out of the room in an instant, closing the door behind himself and pressing his back up against it. With one last deep breath, he pushed off and made his way down the hall, a soft smile on his lips.

_X_

* * *

Kurenai watched, amused, as Kakashi fiddled with his tie. She could see that he was trying his best to make it look even remotely like a bow but failing in a rather epic fashion. Giving in to her pity, she knocked on the open door and smiled when Kakashi grimaced at his own work. "Help?"

She stepped into the room and unravelled the mess he'd made, "Are you nervous?"

Kakashi nodded furiously and she gave him a smile once she was done, watching as he glanced out the door before looking down at the woman with plea, asking timidly, "D…do I look okay?"

The man watched as she broke out into laughter and gave him a fond look. "You look great."

With a nod of thanks, the man strode out of the room, heading down for the stairs.

He was nervous, extremely nervous, and he really didn't know how other people would act, seeing as almost all the guests he'd invited had arrived from what Asuma had told him a few minutes ago. They were all there; the people he used to know when he was a kid along with the dignitaries from the Fire and Wind countries.

And Iruka of course, that was reassuring.

At that thought, he steeled his resolve and turned the corner, eyes falling upon the glimmering lights and music that softly echoed from the end of the hall where he could see the party was coming along. He touched at the mask covering the lower half of his face to make sure it was there and headed over.

* * *

X-X

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!" Iruka jumped at the squeal that startled him and spun around to find the woman who had yelled running up to the man of the hour who had entered the room. Kakashi looked just as startled as him and barely caught the woman who had flown down at him.

The older man looked stunning in his classy, black suit with the bright red handkerchief that matched his eyes poking out of his pocket and the tails of his coats hanging down near his calves. Hugging his torso, the slim fitting vest and jacket accentuated his height and his lithe built. Feeling his cheeks heat up, Iruka noticed the black mask that rose from under the man's white, winged collar; the mask that he'd suggested when Kakashi had blanched at being reminded of how people would react to his face.

"Kakashi, it's been forever, babe. Where have you been?" the woman hugged him tight before standing back to look the silver-haired man up and down as he looked up to see more people walking up to him.

Recognizing most of them, his eyes lit up and Iruka felt himself smiling as the others who were approaching went and hugged Kakashi. Looking away, the brunet turned his attention back to the man who smiled at him and said, "So, have you been here for long, Iruka?"

"Well, I've actually been here for maybe a little over a month or so." The man looked surprised.

"Really? I was expecting longer. You seem to know the mansion and its residents well." Iruka gave the man a smile and glanced down at his feet for a few moments.

"I guess that's because they're all so friendly and sweet that I can't help but get to know them all. I don't leave much, though, so, I've had a lot of time to explore." A woman joined them and introduced herself as the man's wife and the three of them talked until Iruka felt a touch to his shoulder.

He looked over to see a hand and he turned up the other way to see Kakashi next to him.

"Hey," Iruka smiled warmly and parroted the greeting, making Kakashi smiled before he turned to the couple. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Eichiro, It's nice to see you again."

They exchanged pleasantries before Kakashi said, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to steal Mr. Umino, here, away from you."

As they headed off towards the group Kakashi had slipped away from, Iruka felt the man's hand slip down to his lower back. He pushed down the blush that tried to rise up and let the hand sit there even as they greeted the group. "Guys, let me introduce my guest to you. This is Umino Iruka."

As Kakashi's hand slipped from his back, Iruka flinched when the woman jumped and hugged him while she said, "it's so nice to meet you, Iruka. I'm Anko."

Her grin made the brunet smile. "Nice to meet you, Anko."

Her slim black dress glimmered and the little flecks of light matched the way her eyes twinkled in the light when she turned to Kakashi, letting her friends introduce themselves to the young man while she slinked closer to him. Kakashi raised a brow when he saw the way her grin turned feral and he asked, "What?"

With a wag of her brows, her smirk grew bigger and he narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "So…. Iruka, huh?"

He knew where she was going with this and looked away from her with crossed arms. "And?"

"Oh~" she sung out and he cringed, regretting he said anything at all. "So, is he…the one?"

"I….I don't know…" he muttered out, glancing at her briefly to see she was still smiling and looking away again. "Besides, it's none of your business."

As if by fate, his eyes met Iruka's and the brunet's sweet smile towards him made him flush so hard even the mask couldn't hide it. he heard Anko break out into peals of laughter and he glared at her playfully.

"Oh, man! You are so whipped!" Kakashi snorted at those words and shook his head.

"Nah, I gave up being a brat a long time ago. Although, I don't doubt that he could've changed me back then." Smiles faded and Anko looked at him closer.

"You've really changed, Kakashi."

"For the better, I hope."

Smiling at him again, Anko bumped his arm and said, "I don't think you could've gotten any worse."

They laughed and Iruka glanced back at them again one last time before he focused back on the people who'd introduced themselves as Kakashi's friends.

Even though he'd only talked to them for a few minutes, he could already tell that they were really caring and special people. From the responsible Raidō to the exuberant Gai, they were all so friendly and fun, interesting to be around. Iruka felt so good, like his presence was wanted. He seemed to be feeling like that a lot lately; especially around Kakashi.

Speaking of Kakashi, the man was currently speaking to the dignitaries who looked like they were actually having a good time with each other. They were laughing and joking around, having a good time. Their merriment seemed to spread around the room and soon people were dancing and singing, their glittering dresses and lavish clothing forgotten as they simply had fun.

It occurred to Iruka that they were all from wealthy and powerful families and he wondered how he'd gotten here from being the outcast of the town. Looking over at Kakashi, Iruka smiled and nudged the woman next to him.

"Huh?" she swivelled her head to look at him. "Yeah, Ruru?"

"Hey, Anko, I was wondering. Kakashi's father was the king, right?" the woman nodded. "So, why isn't Kakashi the king?"

With a shrug, she took a sip of her drink and thought, "I guess when his dad died he was too young to ascend to the throne so someone else took over. Now that he's been hiding, though, it seems like everyone's forgotten that he's supposed to be king."

"Odd," Anko agreed and Iruka took another sip of his drink, almost spitting it out when a voice spoke behind them.

"What's odd?" Kakashi blinked at their surprise and shook it off, focusing on Iruka with a smile. "Anyway, the dignitaries have all agreed that they would love to hear a certain someone play the piano for them."

"Wait, what?!" Iruka grabbed the arm that wrapped itself around his waist and dragged him over to the piano that some of the guests had pulled back in. "Kakashi!"

-X-

* * *

Kakashi opened his eyes and let his gaze wander over the brunet who was playing.

The suit looked so much better on the younger man than it did on him.

With his hair down, Iruka looked both dashing and handsome in that boyish way that made Kakashi smile. That dark hair contrasted nicely against the white stock tie that hugged his slim neck and helped frame those dark eyes. Coat shed, Iruka was a sight to see in the double-breasted vest and Kakashi thanked himself that he'd chosen that one; the light beige of if bringing out the color of Iruka's hair and eyes and making the young man's skin glow.

As Kakashi watched and listened to Iruka play, he let his lips turn up and immediately complimented Iruka as soon as the brunet stood. "Amazing."

Blushing with self-consciousness, the brunet grinned at them and thanked the others who gushed and praised him.

"That was so beautiful, Ruru!"

"Extraordinary."

"Was that Liszt, perhaps?"

It was Anko's call for more that prompted the others to plea for more as well and Kakashi's smirked, watching the brunet fumble with his words as he tried to say no.

"I guess one more couldn't hurt," the teacher said uncertainly.

"And then we'll dance," Kakashi stated from his place to the side of the group and Iruka nodded to him before turning back to the piano.

He was going to ask himself what to play next when the question answered itself and he took a deep breath. He remembered how he felt last night, brought his hands up to the keys and let the sensation take over.

For a few moments, everyone stood there. Listening, Kakashi frowned to himself when he couldn't figure out the name of the song Iruka was playing. It was beautiful. No, it was more than that. It was more than simple words could describe and it reached up and grabbed at the silver-haired man's gut. The familiarity of the song stung him and he ached to know what the song was until he finally clued in half way through.

That was why it had sounded so familiar, it was the song that he'd played on his violin for the first time in years. That tuneless jumble of notes that he dared to call music was now melodically floating through the air towards his ears in a stunningly sad manner that had his heart aching. It was obvious the pace had been changed but something else as well. It sounded incomplete, like it was missing it's other half.

Iruka finished and everyone clapped, giving him praise again before moving to the centre of the room to dance, the hired band taking over the musical aspect. He was about to go join Anko on the other side when a hand brushed his arm and he looked up to see Kakashi right next to him.

"Walk with me?" seeing the look in Kakashi's eyes, it was impossible for Iruka to say no and he hooked his hand onto Kakashi's arm.

They moved out of the ballroom and passed the dining room that the maids were cleaning and out onto the terrace where the bowl of a fireplace was burning brightly. Standing in front of it and lowering his mask, Kakashi watched as Iruka moved to the low cement rail and looked out over the fire-dusted forest.

"That was exquisite, as always." Iruka thanked him in a distant voice and he continued. "I couldn't help notice though that the song's not done."

"It's actually a duet," the brunet turned to him, the moon shining in the background alighting him from behind, and Kakashi wondered how that skin would look under the glow of the sun.

"Yeah?" Iruka nodded to him and he began to hope.

"Yeah, it's a duet," looking him right in the eye, Iruka said with a look of dead seriousness on his face, "between piano and violin."

Kakashi felt his insides burn and he said, "Well, if you want then maybe we could play it sometime, together. Just give me the notes and I'll play with you."

Iruka smirked and looked away, leaning against the railing as he said, "I wish I could give you the notes."

The furrowing of the older man's brows made Iruka blush and say, "I would if I could but I can't…"

"Why not?" Kakashi was beside Iruka in an instant, searching Iruka's face to try and understand. The brunet blushed.

"Don't laugh but…" he swallowed and looked away. "I…can't read music."

"So, this whole time you've been playing by ear?" Iruka nodded and bit his lip.

"Yeah,"

Iruka winced at the silence and glanced back to almost jump off the terrace with the way Kakashi was gazing at him. The taller man's eyes were wide and his jaw was dropped, his whole face frozen until he broke out into peals of laughter.

"Oh, Iruka," he gasped out, going over to the brunet who was glaring daggers at him and holding him by the shoulders with a warm smile on his face once the laughter evaporated. "You continue to amaze me."

Flushing from head to toe, the younger man dropped his gaze to his feet, murmuring, "Same here… that's why the song's for you."

Expecting for the older man to drop his hand's from Iruka's shoulders, the teacher never expected those hands to move higher and cup his cheeks. His eyes moved back up to behold the way the other man was gazing at him with his softly beaming stitches and his affection-filled rubies.

The space between them got smaller and smaller until their noses touched and eyes closed. Hand coming up to grasp the front of the other man shirt, Iruka trounced the last inch and sealed their lips. The hands that were on his cheeks before slid back into his hair and carved a craving into him, making him want more.

As sweet as the kiss was, the brunet needed more and, for the first time, he wished Kakashi didn't have those stitches.

Feeling the same way, Kakashi pulled back a little for air, their faces still close, and Iruka gripped the man's jacket harder as he gasped for air.

"Kakashi," Iruka's whisper came out faintly between breaths and Kakashi opened his eyes to take in tender lips and cheekbones that were red with the blush that covered even Iruka's scar. "I…"

Before Kakashi had time to even understand what had been about to be said, a voice called to them from the music room. "Kakashi?"

"Here," the two of them pulled away and walked back out into the light of the party. Asuma's smirk greeted them as he held out an official scroll.

"They want to sign the treaty," the bearded man stated as he handed the form to the silver-haired man who nodded and thanked him, pulling up his mask and heading out to the crowd of people who were laughing, dancing and just all-around having a good time with each other.

Iruka watched and smiled as Kakashi moved about the room, greeting people and chatting with them while the dignitaries signed the treaty. Slowly, the guests left and maids and servants took up the dance floor once Kakashi's friends had bid their last goodbye and Anko's statement that they should have a party again, the kids coming out to dance along with the others, having their own fun.

The music changed into something Iruka was more acquainted with and he watched and laughed with a smile as the staff enjoyed themselves after a long evening of working. He clapped along with the beat until Kakashi swooped out from nowhere and swept him onto the dance floor. They danced too, changing partners when needed but always coming back to each other. It was late in the evening when the band decided to play a slow one for their last song, the kids floating out of the room to their beds while a few of the servants stayed.

"Care to dance?" Kakashi held out his hand and Iruka took it, the taller man leading them out into the middle of the floor. With a tired yawn, Iruka dropped his head to Kakashi's shoulder and felt the older man's cheeks against his head.

They would've danced until all the servants had left but a servant came rushing in, shouting, "Sir! There's someone at the door!"

"Who?" Kakashi asked the young woman who shook her head.

"I don't know, sir, but they're asking for Iruka."

* * *

._._._._. ._._._._. ._._._._. ._._._._.._._._._.._._._._. ._._._._. ._._._._. ._._._._.

* * *

Hehe…..the suspense…..

NEXT CHAPTER: When the World Crashes Down


	10. When the World Crashes Down

He couldn't breathe. His throat was closing up, refusing to let even air pass through.

"H…How..." the rest of his sentence was cut off but the white-haired man seemed to know what he wanted to ask.

"I don't know…." Mizuki looked away. "He could've been trying to get here, for all I know, but the doctor told me that he didn't have much time left unless his body succeeds in fighting it. Even then he'd be crippled for life, which is why I came to free you. Naruto needs you Iruka."

Shaking his head, Iruka looked away. "I can't believe that."

No, this couldn't be true. Naruto getting poisoned? That was ridiculous.

Kakashi frowned and tried to recall if there were any poisonous animals or insects in the area from where he was leaned up against the ballroom door, far enough away that they didn't notice him but close enough to hear.

He'd stayed over by the doorway as Iruka hurried across the hall and down the steps to the front door, listening as the Mizuki Iruka had told him about recounted a tale that was as long as Pinocchio's nose and as fishy as black-market goods. He didn't think that the man was anywhere close to the truth but white-haired man seemed adamant and Iruka was starting to bite his lip in hesitation.

Izumo finally appeared next to him and said, "As per your request."

Kakashi nodded grimly and took the weapon that was extended towards him.

Just as Iruka was about to agree to go with the man who'd just arrived, the smoky voice that he'd gotten used to over the past few weeks ground out, "As much as I enjoy having company, I'm afraid that you've overstayed your visit."

"Kakashi!" the brunet gasped when he saw the older man step into the light of the chandelier, the dark look on Kakashi's face and the double-edge sabre sending shivers down his back. Unable to move, Iruka watched with wide eyes as Kakashi passed him by and stood in front of Mizuki. Fists squeezing in an attempt to hide the trembling that engulfed him, Mizuki was about to call out when Kakashi cut him off with a swift gab.

"Despite you coming here and wanting to steal my guest from me, I'll still give an ill-mannered boor like you the benefit of a doubt." At the gab to Mizuki's ego, Iruka shivered and felt his pulse speed up, the way Kakashi snubbed out the intruder more than heroic enough to make him ache inside with yearning. It was exciting to see Kakashi as fiery as he was then; the older man's shoulders drawn back from their normal slouch to reveal his true height, the way his back was tensed and eyes blazed. Grateful that he wasn't wrong for doubting, he stepped v=closer to the two.

Seeing the coward shrink back when he grasped the sabre's hilt, Kakashi smirked. If he hadn't been jealous of the man Iruka had told him had tried to court the brunet in Konoha, he probably would've laughed at the way Mizuki was cringing and let the man run off. Now, though, he wasn't in the mood to let his prey go. He was eager to castoff the man as a liar in front of the eyes Mizuki used to clamour for and the ones that Kakashi now cherished. After all, Naruto 'accidentally eating poisoned berries' was more than suspicious enough. He had more faith in the boy than that. "If what you're saying is true, which is highly unlikely, than my sabre here will tell me."

The shorter man's brows furrowed in confusion and he flinched when Kakashi gripped the handle tighter, sliding the weapon out after he said, "Show me Naruto."

Light sparked against the blade and Iruka gasped when the blue light exploded and covered the whole room in an ethereal glow, the light moving and settling to form the ghostly outline of Naruto's room. Taking in all what was happening around him, Iruka watched as the mayor wrung his hands in one corner and the doctor sitting on the edge of the bed stood and said, "There isn't much time left. Are you sure Mizuki's gone to find his brother?"

When the doctor moved away from the bed, Iruka slapped a hand over his mouth and approached the still boy on the bed, breathing out, "Naruto…"

"See," Mizuki said, nodding as he straightened his jacket. "The situation is dire and that boy needs his brother which is why I came to ask for his release."

Swallowing nothing, Kakashi sheathed the blade and looked over towards the brunet who had been stunned into silence. He didn't know what to do.

"I think we both know what the right thing to do," it was the sneer that made Kakashi move to Iruka and take hold of the motionless man's arm.

"Excuse us for a few moments." Iruka limply followed the taller man into Asuma's office near the entrance, Kakashi closing the door behind them.

Once the door was closed, Kakashi turned and took in the way Iruka was spacing out, hand still covering his mouth. Glancing away, Kakashi stepped up to close the distance between them only to pass the brunet by to stand in front of the fireplace.

Iruka looked up at him with a mouth posed to speak but quickly shut it and moved his gaze when he saw Kakashi's attention wasn't on him. About to speak again, he was cut off when Kakashi finally turned to him and stepped into his personal space, taking his hand and placing the sabre in it. Snapping his eyes up, Iruka was cut off when he tried to say something.

"Just in case, you know…..you're in trouble or anything." Iruka bit his lip and looked down at the sheathed blade in his hands, gripping it tightly between his hands as Kakashi said, "or unless you just want to look back and remember…..us."

Nodding tightly, Iruka pulled up a strong front and tried to act as stoic as possible as he and the older man marched back into the main hall.

It occurred to him that when had first seen that hall, he'd been looking for Naruto and had no idea that he'd be staying there for almost a month. Time flied by so fast and he felt as though not a day had gone by since he'd first walked through those doors. But his heart knew and he found himself realizing that he'd miss the mansion and its residents just as much as he had missed Naruto when he'd arrived.

The carriage, driven by one of the ghostly servants, drew up to the open doors and Iruka watched as Mizuki clambered in. He wanted to stay and talk with the servants, play with the kids and he especially wanted to see Kakashi's smile again. Not the sad smile that was painted on his features then but a genuine smile like the ones he'd seen that night at the party.

"You should get going," Kakashi said and Iruka stared down at his boots, the man's words ignored until Kakashi said, "After all, you're free now."

Breath catching in his throat, Iruka felt his jaw side down as Kakashi gave a bow to him and want back outside, leaving the brunet to watch with his heart in his throat as the doors closed. The last thing Iruka could see was the slump of the older man's shoulders and bowed head as Kakashi retreated inside without a backwards glance. That image stayed burned in his mind even as Mizuki assured him that his presence would help tremendously with Naruto's recovery.

He gripped the pants of his knees tighter and pushed away the thought of Kakashi as he bit his lip, willing for his little brother to be alright.

X-X

* * *

As soon as the doors slammed shut, the man fell to his knees and hands. With wide-eyes, he struggled for control of his emotions as his inside squirmed against his racing heart. Screwing his eyes shut, he swore and pulled off his mask in a mad gasp for air.

It was Kurenai's hand on his shoulder that made him snap his gaze up and he saw all the concerned faces; Sasuke's, Asuma's, Shikamaru's, Izumo's, Kotetsu's and all the others were there and at his side. Their supportive faces shone with concern and made his eyes water when he realized something.

"I'm…sorry," he choked out, making the servants furrow their brows in confusion. "I can't turn you all back to normal."

"Kakashi," Asuma got down on one knee to look the younger man in the eyes as he rested a faded hand on his boss's shoulder. "I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that we'll always be here for you regardless of whether you broke the spell or not."

"Yeah," Ino smiled down at him as she said, "we…we all care about you."

"Regardless of what bodies we have. That's why we didn't want you to feel like you were being force to fall in love." Shikamaru stepped closer. "We want you to fall in love with someone who would make you happy."

"Iruka will come back someday." Asuma helped Kakashi to his feet. "Maybe not anytime soon but he'll be back…"

"And we'll all be here with you, waiting for when he does."

That was right, Iruka wouldn't be gone forever and, in the meantime, he had all the people he trusted right there with him.

Asuma pulled him in for a bear hug and he smiled sadly as he returned the favour.

* * *

X-X

The carriage hadn't even completed its stop when Iruka jumped out of it, eager to get to his little brother, but he stopped mid-stride as his eyes fell upon the mass of people waiting near the small home he and Naruto shared. They were beaming at him and he was suddenly swarmed by people who wanted to speak with him, saying how glad he was safe and sound and how they were so happy he'd come back.

"W-what? I-" he tried to ask what was going on when a strong arm ripped him out of the fray and pulled him to the house.

"Don't mind them; they're just glad you're back." Mizuki explained as he towed the brunet toward their initial goal, holding the younger man close as they passed people. The wince Iruka tried to hide didn't go unnoticed when Mizuki pulled him closer by the waist. Opening the front door, Mizuki gestured inside. "He's in his room."

Remembering why he was there, the teacher bolted inside and up the stairs, taking them two at a time before he finally reached the second floor and dived into his little brother's room.

Once his gaze fell upon the blond he'd come to love and cherish, he almost broke out into tears and dropped to the side of bed to hold a pale hand. The almost-white skin extended up towards dark-rimmed eyes and Iruka touched his knuckles to a cheek that bordered on blue.

"See?" Iruka didn't have to look away from the boy to know that a certain white-haired man was standing in the doorway. "He really does need you, Iruka."

Iruka would've replied sarcastically at the fact but couldn't manage to reply as he tightened his grip on the blond whose breathing was becoming laboured.

"He'll die soon," moving his head to glare at the man, the brunet felt the creeping feeling he'd noticed back at the mansion, the suspicion that was only amplified by the way Mizuki's face had turned up into a grin. Dread built up in Iruka's belly as he began to clue in on what was going on. "Unless, of course, we can reach some sort of agreement."

A vial was pulled from the folds of the old man's cloak and Iruka scowled, standing to fully glare at the man. "I knew it, you did this."

"Such accusations," the reply was countered by the smirk that made the brunet stomach curdle.

"What do you want?" Iruka really didn't need to guess the answer, afraid that it was what he thought it was.

"Marry me," Iruka was right and countered back instantly.

"Never," the man shrugged and walked out.

"Suit yourself," the call reached Iruka's stunned ears. It wasn't like Mizuki to give up so easily and especially wasn't like him to walk away without a backwards glance. Itchy with unease, Iruka turned back to his brother and winced, the feeling of regret pooling up once he saw those blue lips. He really didn't have a choice. It was either save Naruto and marry Mizuki or to let Naruto die.

He couldn't let that happen.

Steeling his resolve, the young man gave Naruto's hand one last squeeze before heading down the stairs to reason with the white-haired man only to freeze half-way down.

A glowing blue light was pouring in through the front door from outside, a blue light that reminded him strangely of…

Slapping his hand towards his hip, Iruka gasped when he didn't feel the sabre Kakashi had given him and he bolted down the stairs to emerge into the light of what looked like a bedroom in the mansion. Mizuki was standing in the middle with the sabre drawn and pointed towards the figure that was standing at the balcony of the room. Seeing the ghostly hair Iruka knew well, the brunet felt his heart drop.

"Behold," Mizuki was calling out, "the monster who hypnotized our dear school teacher! The monster that pans to kill us all!"

"He's not a monster!" the scowl Mizuki shot Iruka's way was quickly covered by a look of what was supposedly sadness.

"You see!? It's brainwashed him!" the man turned back to the crowd that gasped and avoided staring at the vision-Kakashi's eyes.

"I wasn't brainwashed!" Iruka moved down the small set of stairs and stepped in front of Kakashi's image. "He's really kind and sweet and he wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Then why has he hurt you?" the brunet's arm was wrenched up and his shirt was raised to reveal the bruises and scratches on the younger man's back. "Wouldn't my ass."

This man isn't to be trusted!" Mizuki raised the sabre into the skies as he gathered everyone's attention to him. "His face had been sown from the people he's murdered and his eyes are red from all the spilled blood they've seen! This is a monster and has to be stopped! I say we kill the thing!"

Egged on by Mizuki's lackeys cheering, the crowd were driven to stomping their feet and chanted along with the man who had begun to chant 'kill it!' Iruka was roughly grabbed and thrown back inside his home.

"You could've said yes." The white-haired man said before slamming the door shut and locking it soundly just in time for Iruka to slam his weight against it. He kept pounding against it until his ears picked up the sound of banging on the other side of the house.

Rushing to the kitchen, Iruka's jaw dropped when he saw the windows being boarded up and realized what Mizuki had planned. He ran around to the front and up the stairs to find the other windows had been closed off as well. Swearing, he dropped onto the top step and let his head fall into his hands.

"I…Iruka?" a small voiced peeped from the door had Iruka's head snapping up and his eyes widening with surprise.

"Sakura?" he stood and walked down to the girl. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I heard your brother was poisoned so I came along to see if I could help." She looked away, her face paler than normal as she murmured, "They're going to kill him…"

Knowing exactly who she was talking about, Iruka shook his head. "He'll be okay…I hope…"

The girl nodded and glanced around the room, saying softly, "we have to get out of here; they're going to set the place on fire."

"What?!" Iruka followed her gaze around the room and understood why they'd barred the windows and doors.

"Mizuki convinced them that your 'disease' was contagious," Iruka went over to a window and peeked through a crack, catching a few glances of the man and the mob that were starting to move out in the direction of the mansion. "We have to get out of here."

Shaking his head, Iruka said softly, "I can't leave him."

"Well, it's a good thing I have this then, huh?" turning towards the girl, the man's eyes lighted upon a familiar little bottle and he gaped at her. She grinned and told Iruka to let her handle it before bouncing up the stairs. Gaping for a few seconds after her, he huffed at her improvisational skills and followed her up.

X-X

* * *

Everything was going perfect Mizuki concluded.

Sure, the man he'd had his eyes on for the past few years was going to die a fiery death but he could live with that. Iruka was just something he was going to have to get over and he was prepared to mourn for a few hours.

Regardless, all he had left to do was kill the arrogant ass of a king-to-be and then he'd be done with the matter.

He could see it now, living by the beach with a beautiful wife and thousands of servants to cater to his every whim. He'd have tons of kids and they'd bring him fame and fortune by conquering neighbouring lands. Then he'd take over those lands and become a king, living out the rest of his life in riches.

Ah, it was good to be the accomplice to a rising king.

After all, he'd signed a contract that was more than binding and he was sure that with Orochimaru's rise in power the man would know who his friends were. He'd spied on the Hatake mansion for years now and his boss would definitely be pleased to know that obstacle was out of the way.

It was turning out to be a good night, all in all.

* * *

X-X

Naruto's nose twitched. Slowly, the black in his mind started to fade and he cracked his eyes open only to shut them. He was still dreaming. He had seen his big brother again and just wanted the vision to go away. He swatted blindly at where the image had been and groaned out that he didn't want it.

"Naruto?" he was starting to get angry now. This vision had no right to sound like his brother, only Iruka could sound like Iruka. He opened his eyes again to call it out on being a fake when his eyes adjusted and he saw the lamp next to his bed burning brightly. It was his lamp…. That was strange, his dreams usually didn't have his lamp in it…. it was odd.

He looked back up at the people who were looking over at him.

"Ruru?" the Iruka next to him broke out into a wide, happy smile and nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, yeah it's me," Naruto frowned at that.

"But….you were…" Iruka shook his head, moving closer to the blond who noticed how his hand was in the brunet's.

Smiling, Iruka glanced down before saying with a softly sad smile on his face, "he let me go, Naruto."

The blond's gaze drifted away and he huffed in wonder, murmuring under his breath about how Sasuke had been right.

Interrupting the moment, Sakura called out for Iruka, "I think they've started the fire."

X-X

* * *

NEXT CHAPTER: Sacrifice


	11. Sacrifice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is….the last chapter….yah….
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed, I know I did writing it. This chapter is the last and then there will be an epilogue…at the end of the chapter I will provide my last author notes and, as this is a very magical moment, I'll make a little announcement.  
> Enjoy

"What?" Naruto's eyes opened fully and he bolted up from his pillow as Iruka went over to where Sakura was peeking through a crack in the boards. Sure enough, the flower beds outside their front windows were in flames, the fire racing on the bushes surrounding the house around to the back where it ate up the back porch.

Swearing to himself, Iruka glanced around the room before going back over to the confused boy and helping him to his feet. "We have to find a way out, now."

Holding on to the sleeve of Iruka's dress shirt, Naruto followed the two out into the hall only to have his jaw drop when he saw how the fire had already spread inside. The flames burned hard and fast and smoke was rising and getting thicker by the second, the heat hugging their skin.

"What do we do?" Naruto called as he covered his mouth from the black air wafting up and Iruka tried to think fast, eyes snatching all over to try to find a way out. They were sweating already and the house could be heard creaking around them, the fire having climbed up and was licking its way over the whole home.

Dragging the boy down the stairs with him and the girl to the living room, Iruka glanced around as he tried to hold back his coughs, his eyes starting to sting. He called to the kids, "Crouch down, away from the smoke."

Holding his sleeve to his mouth, the brunet moved from the living room to the dining room and back again. There had to be some way out, there must've been.

He scanned passed the sofa to the settee to even the fireplace next to the piano before it hit him.

The piano.

He really didn't want to do this, he really didn't, but it was the heaviest thing he could think of on wheels. Inside screaming in protest, Iruka moved over to the vertical piano and started pulling it towards the kitchen, ignoring the calls of questions he got from Naruto. Pulling it as far into the kitchen as he could before the flaming back door, the brunet moved the instrument into a position where he could see the front door in its path.

With a deep breath and a clear mind, he whispered a quiet sorry to his mother before taking off down the hall in a sprint, pushing the piano as he went, and pushing it off. The instrument rolled at top speed until it crashed into the door and down the steps with a broken cry of breaking strings and wood.

There was a small silence made up of nothing but the crackling of fire before Naruto was whisked off his feet out into the cold of the night.

X-X

* * *

X~X

"Okay, okay," Kiba said, "we'll sneak out the back then."

"Idiot!" Ino whacked him upside the head and yelled, "did you even think of the master?!"

"Oh right…" the boy got back to thinking while the girl groaned in frustration and turned back to the rest of their gang.

"Any more bright ideas?" when no one answered, she sighed and turned to her childhood friend. "Shika?"

The boy shrugged and looked out the window at the angry mob that had formed only a few minutes ago and was now pounding on the door to get in. "Well, it's not like we can fight them…and we can't leave without Kakashi…."

"And we already tried scaring them…" at Hinata's faint words, the group turned to eye down Kiba who flushed and grumbled that it wasn't his fault they weren't scared. With a roll of his eyes, Neji spotted one of the grown-ups dashing passed their room and silently slunk out of the door, following Kotetsu all the way over to the study where most of the adults were converged.

"He said to let them come," the man panted once he reached the room. "He said we can't hurt them and that we can't reason with them."

Neji slunk into a shadow in the hall and made himself unseen, listening as Kotetsu explain to the others on what they were going to have to do.

"He said that we should hide and let them wreck the place enough so that they'd get bored and leave," the man seemed confused but Neji couldn't help but agree with the master. There was no way they'd want to bargain or persuade them as they all seemed dead-set on the master's head and there was definitely no way to resist them.

"Okay," Asuma's voice echoed, "go tell the kids and others to hide and not to make a noise; our lives depend on it."

X~X

* * *

X~X

Panting, the three figures watched as the house before them slowly burned to the ground, smoke billowing up into the air. It had been the pace both Iruka and Naruto had been raised in, where Iruka's parents had taken care of them, taken Naruto in when he suddenly showed up on their doorstep one night. Most of their memories had been made there and now that the place was gone…they felt more than empty.

Sakura watched as the other two looked upon the disaster with horror and sadness. She wanted to say something that would comfort them but didn't have the words with her and knew that anything she said would be useless either way.

While the boys were watching their home fall, she turned her eyes to the road that led out of the cul-de-sac the small home was located and it dawned on her that there were no villagers in sight on the long road ahead. There were no lights from the torches that had been lit and she couldn't hear voices over the crackling of the dying fire. She looked down and saw the hoof marks that branded the ground, the sheer number of the hooves making her eyes widen and her hand come up to cover her mouth.

"No…" she was shaking her head when Iruka's hand fell on her shoulder. Her eyes met his, both filled with unshed tears. Giving in to the sob that arose, she choked out, "They'll all die…"

Naruto glanced over at the girl who was breaking down further by the second, lowering his eyes to the ground as she sobbed out, "Kakashi….Ino…Sasuke…"

Head snapping up, the blond's eyes went round like saucers and he sprang to his feet, "Well, then, what are we waiting here for?"

Iruka nodded to his brother and gave the pink-haired girl's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, saying softly, "Don't worry, they'll be alright. They know how to handle themselves."

When Sakura saw Iruka's wink, she hiccupped and nodded, "good because I think I've got us ride."

X-X

* * *

~X~

Everything in the castle was quiet. It was so quiet that the angry mob slowly calmed down and calmed up, their breaths becoming shallower by the second.

They'd broken through the front door and were now scouring the mansion's first floor. Their steps echoing down the hall as Mizuki's voice startled them.

"Half of you take this first area and the other half will take the first room up there." He said, gesturing up the stairs to where the ballroom was. "We'll meet in front of that door before we split up again to cover those two halls."

The others nodded as Mizuki and his team headed up the stairs, the first group moving to search each of the room on either side of the entry way. As they moved into the last room in the entryway, their torches flickered out and one of them swore while the rest's breaths hitched in their throats, the darkness closing around them as their heart rates skyrocketed. Their leader fumbled with the torch, scrambling to light it again, and a soft voice made their heads snap around.

They somehow were able to spot the small girl in the corner who was quietly weeping, rocking back and forth as the leader slowly approached her. His hand was almost on her shoulder when he realized that the reason he could see her was because of the soft, dull light she was emitting.

Quickly, Ino wheeled on his and screamed in his face, making the man and his comrades scrambling out of the room and as far away from the castle as they could get.

"Huh, not bad," She whipped at her charcoal-smeared face and ran her hand through her wet hair. The rest of the kids in the room glowed to life, Shikamaru nodding as Choji shyly complimented her. "You think the others can pull something like that off?"

"Hopefully," the brunet shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets, the three of them making their way out into the entry to find and help their next little 'trap'.

X-X

* * *

Their pace was too slow, Mizuki decided when they'd passed through the ballroom and were making their way down the corridor to their left.

"Aha!" the man bounded toward the steps he saw and was dashing up them when a call came out.

"But, sir, what about meeting the other group?" the most daring of the men called out towards the white-hair man who scowled to himself, stopped and turned, whipping the scowl off to be replaced with a brave face.

"Go and meet them at the top of the entrance steps and I'll scout out the third floor." he called, sweeping his cape up with him as he rolled up the curving steps.

Feeling relieved that they didn't have to go further and perhaps encounter the monster, the company moved down the hall with a sense that they were safe.

Until the whispers started, that is.

* * *

#HEHE#HEHEH#HEHE#

Kakashi looked up when he heard the first set of screams, wondering about them for a brief moment before passing them off as his imagination. The second set going off, the man finally decided they were real and set out from Iruka's room…Iruka's old room.

He had slipped into the room a few minutes ago when he'd heard the door burst in, thinking that if he'd die at their hands, he'd want to at least die close to where the man he'd loved had slept. It had seemed fitting and he was okay with it until he found his brunet's songbook tucked under the mattress. Slipping it out carefully, Kakashi paged through it with delicate fingers. He recognized most of the songs, most of them songs by great pianists and artists while some were sweet lullabies that had probably been used to play to sleep a little Iruka. The memories the book held was enchanting and he kind of wished his father had left him something so precious from him to keep.

Smiling, he sighed and closed the book after flipping to the last page, freezing when his eyes caught on the odd page. Certainly unlike the others, this last song had no notes written on the page. It was completely blank save for the title that read in Iruka's spindly script:

Ballad for a Scarecrow

The breath was taken from his lungs and he couldn't breathe, the cries from before long forgotten. His fingers caressed the page and he wished for the real Iruka so that he could kiss him again and hug him until he made a sarcastic comment about air or something.

He missed Iruka, more than he thought he would, but the book between his fingers was proof the younger man was going to come back to him. Unless Mizuki killed him first…

With that thought, the older man stood and left the room, picking up his violin once he entered the newly rearranged music room. He pulled out the pen and the inkwell he'd snatched from his study on the way there, flipping open Iruka's notebook to the right page. Taking a few moments to recall, the silver-haired man picked up the violin and slowly began to play what he had heard earlier that night.

X-C-X

* * *

X_C_X

His face seemed to be stuck in a permanent scowl.

Mizuki had checked all over the top floor and there was absolutely no sign of the monster-man. Well, everywhere except that one room that wouldn't open but he hadn't heard anything in there. So, where could the mansion-owner have gone?

As if the gods could hear his thoughts, a noise reached his ears and he perked up. It was better than nothing. So, the man dashed back down the stairs towards the sound of the violin Kakashi was playing.

Speeding to a stop, Mizuki tiptoed as quietly as he could to the music room and peaked around the doorframe to see the older man lit up by the moonlight pouring in from the terrace's entrance. Now, Mizuki wasn't the kind of musically-inclined person Iruka was (or had been, in this case) but he could tell pretty music from ugly music and seeing the older man play such pretty music made him even happier to kill the man.

He huffed and pulled his bow from his shoulders, muttering that Iruka probably only liked the man for his music. He had seen how the brunet had been so reluctant to go, even with Naruto on the line, and knew how Iruka probably was feeling. After all, the little teacher used to look at him with those same eyes he had been using on the monster.

Sure, he'd fooled around with a few other girls but Iruka had been so stingy back then and so chaste. He'd waited for weeks to make a move but the brunet had rejected him in an instant, saying that he didn't feel that way about the white-haired man and that he didn't want to be 'toyed with'.

What had Iruka been thinking? What made that scarecrow so much better than him? He was smart, funny and strong, qualities that monsters didn't have. What did the brunet think? That the scarecrow actually loved him? Ha!

He smirked to himself as he knocked and arrow, aiming the weapon directly at the older man's head.

Having stopped playing, the older man was bent over the grand piano, writing down something in a book, and Mizuki was ready to fire.

He waited a few seconds, taking a deep breath before he let it fly.

His breath stuck in his throat as the arrow sailed through the air and almost struck the silver-haired man in the heart, a hand snatching out to catch it mid-air.

Kakashi gave the shocked man near the door a bored look, "Did you really think I'd die that easily?"

"Tch," gritting his teeth, Mizuki stepped into the doorway fully and studied the man he was about to kill, hating everything about the monster from the way his stichty lips were curling up to the way his posture was so straight. He slid out his sword and rushed forward, slicing down only to have a violin bow block the attack.

He saw the smirk Kakashi was wearing a scowled when Kakashi asked, "Are your swords always this blunt?"

His weapon was smacked away and he was thrown off balance until his butt his the ground, the bow in Kakashi's grip pointed at his throat. Kakashi couldn't help but take a jab at the other man's ego. "Of course, I doubt any of your _other_ weaponry is any better."

"Funny, I didn't think scarecrows had a sense of humour," Mizuki jumped back to his feet and felt a grin slipping onto his face as a dirty plot came to mind. "You know, I'm glad I brought Iruka home, away from a monster like you."

The comment was ignored and Kakashi swiped at him, the younger man's cheeks splitting open from the small cut, Mizuki continuing to talk, "Even if he is gone forever, that is."

"What?" Kakashi stopped attacking to look at the white-haired man with confusion.

"Oh? You didn't hear?" Mizuki's face turned into one of pretend sadness. "The poor man found his little brother dead, having gotten there too late, and found his old lover to be affianced to someone else. So he hung himself."

Kakashi shook his head, gripping his bow harder as he took up a killing stance, "You're lying."

Mizuki pulled out a small sabre from where it had been on his hilt, hidden under his cloak. "He wanted you to have this back."

"No," Kakashi was shaking his head, his feet bringing him out into the night as he backtracked. He didn't understand. He thought Iruka…. Had he been used this whole time? To get home and back to his brother and…. _lover?_

He dropped the bow and turned around, moving to the edge of the rail as he forced back the bile climbing up his throat. Hands on the low rail, he leaned over the side and tried to make sense of everything, leaving himself wide open as Mizuki stalked over.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's happy where he is." the smaller man said softly as he snuck closer, pulling his arm up to slice down as he asked, "Why don't you join him?!"

Mizuki's eyes went wide when the sword was caught by the older man's hand and he shivered when the bloody-eyed gaze of the wrathful man who growled out, "You liar."

V-V_V-V

* * *

._.-.-.-.-.((((())))).-.-.-.-. _.

Iruka's pulse was thundering by the time they reached the castle, Naruto finally catching up to him when he reined the carriage horse he was riding to scan the home he'd been living in the past few weeks. It felt good to be back even though the circumstances were regretful.

Suddenly, the echoes of screams reached their ears and the brunet could feel the light arms around his middle tighten as Sakura tensed. When a heard of villagers came sprinting out, her arms relaxed and Iruka couldn't help but chuckle. "Told you they could handle it,"

Sakura smiled and said, "let's go,"

The three of them pressed on into the house, another group passing them by just as they entered the gates. For a few seconds, they trotted down the path with an eerie silence following them and Iruka bit his lip.

Sure enough, two giant-like figures emerged from the sides of the mansion and the brunet groaned, "We don't have time for this…"

"Hey, brother," Raijin looked towards the other giant next to him, the dopey grin on his face faltering when he saw Iruka, "I though those two were supposed to be dead."

"They are supposed to be, brother," Fūjin said with a matter-of-factly tone.

"Then what are they doing here then?" the other brother shrugged in response and said he didn't know.

Iruka groaned, "We _really_ don't have time for this,"

"Let us pass, you idiots!" Naruto called out at them, seemingly back to his normal self again. Iruka's palm met his face while the two men frowned.

"Hey! Who are you calling idiots?"

"He means us, you moron,"

"I know that,"

"Will you both shut up and let us pass?! It's an emergency!" Naruto growled out.

"Well, you were mean to us so you can't pass." The older brother crossed his arms and the younger one copied him. Iruka shook his head.

"Look, is there some way we can get passed?" Iruka pleaded, not really caring what it took to get into the castle.

"Nope," One of the brothers shook his head. "Mizuki told us not to let anyone else in so that he can kill the monster all by himself."

The other twin visibly shivered, "Yeah, and he won't be able to with you guys barging in and then the monster will come and eat us…."

A light flicked on in Iruka's head and he decided to ignore the fact that they'd called Kakashi a monster in favour of saying, "Well, what if he can't kill the monster?"

"what?" one of the brother's eyes widened.

"What if Mizuki's not strong enough?" the question had the two brothers shaking with fear, their eyes meeting as they contemplated the thought. "Do you really want to be around for that?"

Shaking their heads, one of the brothers bolted off with the other right behind him, yelling all the way, "don't let the monster get me, brother!"

Naruto watched them run off through the gate and down the road before turning to see Iruka and Sakura further head, jumping down from the horse to hurry into the mansion as Naruto called, "wait for me!"

Iruka glanced around at the darkness and wondered why most of the lights were out, moving up the grand stairs in the entry to the second floor. Sakura followed until they reached the top.

"I'll go check upstairs," she said as she bolted up the next flight and Naruto rushed passed Iruka to follow her.

"I'll go with you!" were the last words Iruka heard before they disappeared up the stairs. His smile towards them dropped and he hurried to the ballroom doors, pulling them open he studied the dark, grand room before rushing to the other end and ripping them open as well, sounds coming from the closed doors.

When he pulled them open, he had search with his eyes before they lighted upon the glints of light coming from the music room's patio doors. Heart speeding up, Iruka grinned when he saw a shock of off-centre, gravity defying silver hair and the black of the mansion-master's vest. He was about to call out when he spotted Mizuki and felt his heart fall.

The two men were going at each other, Mizuki with his sword and Kakashi with nothing but his bare hands. Not sure what to do, the brunet lingered in the ballroom's doorway and fought with his emotions, knowing that he should stay back but wanting to help at the same time.

Then a flash came and momentarily blinded more people than just Iruka, both Kakashi and the brunet realizing, too late, that Mizuki had used the Sabre as a distraction. Mouth falling open, the young man watched with horror as the Sabre was use to slash at Kakashi, the man only having time to flinch away as the blade sliced upwards against his left eye.

Pain searing through his eye, Kakashi dropped to his knees with a cry of pain, hand pressed up against his eye to stop the pain. He gritted his teeth and waited for the blade to fall again, this time on his neck, but instead heard his own name being cried at him.

Glancing over, his eyes met horrified brown and he felt his stomach tie itself in knots, feeling both relieved and overjoyed.

The moment was disturbed by the man over him who tried to use his father's sword again. Tried being the keyword as Kakashi rolled to avoid the blow, shot up and swept his knee up to hit the shorter man in the gut, spurred on by adrenaline and thrill. Staggering back, Mizuki faltered and tumbled back down the steps of the terrace with a cry of surprise.

Panting, Kakashi watched Mizuki fall for a few moments before someone more important caught his attention and he turned to find Iruka running at him, catching the younger man in his arms.

"You're here," he murmured into the brunet's hair, taking in the smell, sensation and warmth that he missed so much. Iruka hugged him tighter and nodded into the older man's vest.

"Yeah, I'm here," Kakashi pulled back, taking Iruka's face in his hands.

"I missed you," Iruka's smile warmed him from the inside out and the words Iruka said simply made his heart float.

"I missed you too," Iruka ran his hands up to the man's lapels, a faint red blooming on his cheeks when he realized what he'd said. Kakashi's chuckle rang out and Iruka laughed as well.

The beautiful moment was broken by Iruka spotting white hair beyond Kakashi's shoulder and his instincts took over when he pushed away the injured man whose hands were on his cheeks, feeling the pierce of the sword's metal at his middle.

The force of Mizuki's charge drove them both a few steps back until the backs of Iruka's knees hit the rail and they both tumbled over, leaving Kakashi standing there with hands empty.

He heard the distant crash of branches and wood but his body refused to respond until the air became quiet and his lips quiet called the younger man's name.

Gasping, he dashed off down the steps and rushed through the trees after a wild turn. Sprinting, he almost tripped a few times but finally emerged in the little grove. He glanced around urgently for his brunet, eyes running over his mother and father's now-broken grave which had cracked down the middle from what had probably been the weight of Mizuki who was now lying next to it, neck visibly broken.

A groan had Kakashi rushing off again near the monument, temporarily taking in the sight of the brunet curled and bleeding. Rolling Iruka over, he said, "hold on," quickly before ripping the sword out of the younger man who yelped and grimaced, face torn in pain.

Making soothing noises, he moved the brunet until he was cradle in the older man's arms, one hand attempting to staunch the steady flow of blood from the deep and wide stab.

"K-Kashi," Iruka mumbled out, blood seeping from his lips, making the other man wince and hold onto him tighter. "Kakashi…"

"I'm here," wiping a strand away from the younger man's face, Kakashi left a trail of blood on the brunet's face that made him flinch and hold the younger man closer. Iruka winced and coughed up more blood, Kakashi shaking his head as tears built up behind his eyes, "why did you come back?"

Iruka couldn't help but laugh and give the other man a sad, wet smile, "he said he was going to kill you….I…couldn't let him…"

Shaking his head, the older man said as he touched their foreheads together, "you're an idiot,"

"I love you too, Kakashi," he pulled back and saw the confirmation in Iruka's smile, letting himself nod as he held back watery eyes, mouth twitching between a smile and grimace from the late return of affection.

"Iruka, I love you," the younger man smiled brightly at him, his vision going blurry as the world spun and he fell into the darkness.

Kakashi watched as Iruka's eyes faded and felt himself die inside, clutching Iruka closer as he pleaded and begged for Iruka not to leave him. He never noticed how the air around him shimmered, his stiches slipping out by themselves and his skin pealing back.

It was only when an approaching step caught his attention did he look up, eyes hitting on the vision of the same enchantress who had dropped him into this mess in the first place.

Tsunade sighed and shook her head, "what have you done now, brat?"

"Tsunade…" he was confused until he saw his bloody but human hands, turning his gaze up at her when she came closer.

Her eyes looked just as sad as his and he watched as she pulled his fingers off the body in his arms, panicking as she picked up Iruka until the graceful woman asked, "would you do anything for him?"

"Yes," Kakashi said without hesitation, hope blooming in him.

"Would you even go back to being a monster for him?"

X_X_X_X

* * *

X_X_X_X

Iruka wrinkled his nose and frowned, taking a deep breath before furrowing is brows and trying to crack his eyes open. There was someone touching his cheek, a soft hand stroking it and he flinched away from it. Breathing in deeper and feeling strangely at peace, he kept his eyes shut until a voice crept into his ears, one that sounded strangely familiar.

It took him a bit but he finally recognized it and remembered what had taken place, Kakashi's soothing voice in his ear.

"'Kashi…" he murmured, hearing the older man chuckle and felt another something caress his fingers delicately before the older man responded.

"Yeah," that made him want to open his eyes and, when he did, he stared at the face that looked down at him.

"Who are you?" the face peering down at him blinked and went slack, a hand pushing away the odd man as an amazingly beautiful woman smiled down at him.

"Hey, there, kiddo," she helped pull him into a sitting position as she asked, "how're you feeling?"

"Um….." Iruka looked down at himself and saw there was absolutely no trace on his skin that he'd ever been stabbed except for his blood-stained shirt and the blood on the bench under him. "O…kay?"

"Perfect," the big-bosomed woman smiled at him and he nodded at her before turning his attention his surroundings, looking for a certain someone.

"Where's Kakashi?" the woman chuckled at his question, leaving him confused until someone stepped out of the shadows with a raised hand.

"That would be me," the voice was the same, the same deep and smoky tone that he'd lived with for weeks, and so was the titled, silver hair but there were some key differences.

There were no stitches whatsoever and his skin was fair and smooth instead of rough burlap, not an inch of skin was covered in it. The man's eyes…. eye was different too. One of them had been bandaged up, the white wrapping around his head, while the other was a dark, slate grey that made him shiver. It was different but familiar and Iruka tried to put a finger on where he'd seen this man before.

His brows furrowed and the man knelt in front of the brunet, giving him a small smile that faded when Iruka's face stayed frozen on shock and confusion. The tall man shook his head and said, "Don't worry, I'll be back to the way I was before soon."

Watching the seemingly upset man leave, Iruka almost called after him but his body wouldn't allow that. Tsunade sighed and took Iruka's hands, pulling him up to stand with her.

"Why don't we get you to bed? I bet it's been a long night." Iruka frowned at her words and looked over at the way the man claiming to be Kakashi had left. That couldn't have been….

X_V_V_X

* * *

X_V_V_X

Jaraiya was waiting outside the little brunet's room when the blond woman finally emerged. The door clicked soundly behind her and she moved down the hall, the older man moving to walk beside her.

"So?" he asked after a long time, curious. He had seen and spoken to Kakashi briefly, seeing the agitation in the younger man's newly turned eyes, and he knew that things weren't the same as before.

"He really can't believe that it's him," she said softly. She turned to her friend, "he's been shaken around so much tonight that seeing Kakashi like that was just too much. A night's sleep will do him good."

The man nodded, "I've sent Sasuke out to deal with the snake."

"Oh?" she looked at him.

"Yeah, him and a handful of the knights." There was a pause before he said, "with him as leader, of course,"

"Good," the white-haired man looked away from her when she answered and felt the question he'd wanted to ask boiling up again.

"Your Majesty?" she shot him a look and he coughed before apologising, "I mean, Tsunade?"

"Yes," she let her honey eyes warm up at him.

"Do you really intend to change him back?" she frowned and looked away, lost in thought over the problem that had popped up ever since the man next to her had escorted her through Kakashi's doors. She had been on her way to the mansion to either watch Kakashi transform back into a human with the love of his life at his side or find him stuck in a corner, weeping at his misfortune. To be honest, she'd always known from the beginning that the young man couldn't stay like that forever, having more hope in him than that, but now everything was upside-down.

After all, if she turned him back into a scarecrow, then he wouldn't be able to ascend to his rightful throne and all of this time she'd spent waiting for Kakashi to learn the value of others would have been for nought.

X-X-X-X-X-X

* * *

X-X-X-X-X-X

Everything was happening so fast, flashing by like a beam of light, and it made the whole world turn and spin wildly. It had all happened so fast that taking a step back and looking back at it all made it seem as though things were going in slow-motion.

Sitting on his bed, back in his room, Iruka didn't know what to do or to even think. It seemed like that was happening a lot.

He loved Kakashi, that was a fact, but… He hardly knew who Kakashi was anymore. Was he still the same man as before? Would he still love Iruka the way the brunet loved him?

It was all so confusing. The young man couldn't think straight. He needed to gather his thoughts, his feet moving by themselves and pulling him out of his room once a new shirt was on his arms. If he just played one song then he would know; one little song and everything would be better, he told himself as he headed down the hall for the music room where he'd last seen the piano, freezing before he turned the corner.

No, it couldn't be…

Rushing to the room, Iruka slid to a stop right before the door, listening in to the beautiful notes that reached his ears, his heart. He stepped out into the doorway and saw the usual silver hair and the same strong back he always did. Beside the open curtains, it was all the same and it made Iruka's eyes well with tears. Sniffing and rubbing them back, he strode over to the piano and sat, playing the last of what he could of the song he knew inside and out.

Kakashi almost faltered when he heard the piano begin to play but instead smiled and continued. He had hardly finished playing when he heard the bench screech back and felt a sudden clench at the back of his shirt, not needing to turn back to know that Iruka's fists were curled into his shirt.

"Iruka?" he had heard the soft hiccup and tried to turn but the brunet wouldn't let him yet, hands tightening their hold.

"Kashi…" the younger man hiccupped and dropped his head to the taller man's shoulder blades, taking a few moments to collect himself before he took a deep breath and said, "I can't….. I can't let you….turn back just because of me."

Smiling to himself, Kakashi sighed and leaned back against the touch, his voice soft as he said, "I can't let you die just because of me."

The brunet frowned and muttered, "It wasn't a big deal…"

When Kakashi didn't reply, the brunet flinched and said quickly, "my mom's piano was a big deal though…."

Kakashi's eyes widened as he pieced together Iruka's singed look from the night before and the past tense, feeling a piece of him float up.

"I love you."

For the longest time, Iruka didn't answer and kept quiet, the breaths the only thing in their ears until he murmured, "I…I love you too, of course…"

Iruka could almost feel the silver-haired man's grin in his hands and couldn't help but smile as well, the smile replaced with surprise when Kakashi whirled around in his hands and said, "close your eyes."

"What?" Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"Just close them for a bit," Iruka frowned but did as the older man asked, his mouth twisting down into a pout.

"This isn't something weird is it?" he smiled a little at Kakashi's chuckle.

"No, no, of course not. Now, hold out your hands," the glare Iruka would have shot him almost shot through eyelids as the brunet's face went confused, Kakashi slowly slipping the book he'd been hiding in the bench's compartment out and placing it in Iruka's hands. "Okay, now, open them,"

Standing proud, Kakashi watched as Iruka's eyes went like saucers and he hugged the book close, about to say thank you as he flipped through it when the last page caught his eye. The older man's back straightened and he waited for a reaction, the look of awe a slow confirmation that it was okay.

"I thought it was only natural for me to write the notes down since your wrote the title." Without looking up at him Iruka nodded.

"It wasn't so you wouldn't forget them?" the small joke was taken in stride as Kakashi gave a small shake of his head.

"I don't think I'd be able to forget even if I wanted to."

With that, Iruka looked up at the man he loved, inside and out, no matter what, as Kakashi looked down at him with adoration that could be felt from every nook and cranny in the castle.

Tsunade looked on with a critical eye, Jaraiya next to her, as they watched hands twine together.

X_X_X

_Ballad for a Scarecrow_

* * *

Wow, that was long... There won't be any A.N. in the epilogue so I'll say this now.

This story had to be one of my most favorite stories to write….scratch that, I love writing no matter what, but it certainly was something different from what I usually do. 

I hope you guys n gals enjoyed as much as I did, review if you did, and I'll see you guys next story.

NEXT: EPILOGUE


	12. Epilogue

Mizuki wrinkled his nose against the smell and kept shoveling, the pig nearest to him snorting and nuzzling his face. He groaned and pushed the animal away, trudging out of the pen and over to the water pump. He was washing his face when a shadow fell over him. he glanced up and smiled at the woman who had taken him in a few months ago after he'd showed up on her doorstep with no inclination of who he was.

She was such a nice girl and he'd been happy to work for her in exchange for food and shelter, determined in making Tsubaki more than just his employer one day and he didn't see himself anywhere else.

X_X

Sasuke frowned, seeing the welcome that was waiting for him. A blond boy with shimmering blue eyes was waiting for him on the steps, giving him a wide grin and the new comer couldn't help but smile back and head closer to the castle.

X-X

Iruka was frowning. He was frowning really hard. It was easy to find a Naruto, that had been the easy part. After all when he called 'Sasuke's here!' from Kakashi's room, the blond had went running down the steps and flying out the door in nothing but a pair of undergarments and slippers. The idiot was probably still out there.

Being summer, it really didn't matter but Iruka was still trying to drill a bit of decency into the boy's head.

That wasn't why he was frowning, though. He was frowning because he couldn't find a certain silver-haired man, a silver-haired man who had yet to be informed of his apprentice's arrival from studying abroad. Iruka had scoured the whole mansion and hadn't found a single hair of a clue, moving his search outdoors after a good ten minutes.

He didn't have to walk far along the path in the woods to glance a flash of hair in the distance. Hopping over, Iruka slipped off the path and into the little grass patch where Kakashi was dozed off in, the book he'd been reading lying on his face while his arms were tucked under his head and his ankles were crossed.

For a few moments, the brunet stopped and studied the man, admiring him from a distance before creeping up and kneeling by his head. Snatching the book off the man's head, Iruka quickly bent over and licked his nose, effectively waking him up with a snort and a wrinkle of his nose.

"Mmmh," he wiped his nose and frowned up at his lover, "what was that for?"

The brunet shrugged, "oh, I don't know, because I felt like it maybe or perhaps because your apprentice has arrived."

Even though Kakashi tried to seem unresponsive, Iruka saw the glimmer of delight in his visible eye. "Oh? Really, now?"

Smiling, the younger man nodded and ran his hands through the other man's downy hair, "yup,"

Kakashi hummed and got lost briefly in his thoughts with Iruka still petting his hair. Eyes wandered and the brunet found himself staring at the man's pale, human face, the one that Tsunade had shrugged at and said 'he needed to be king' at. Truthfully, the woman had some debts that had accumulated while she was queen and she said he could pay her back through those debts. Drifting down, he couldn't help but stare at the smooth expanse of strong abdomen that was on display, the man's dress shirt unbuttoned.

As quickly as he had woken up, Kakashi said abruptly, "You know, I had the strangest dream a few moments ago."

"Oh?" the older man sat up and stood, pulling Iruka up to his feet too.

"Yes, I dreamt that, instead of having one king to rule the whole country, there was a whole round table of kings who all took votes to decide the country's fate and each king was the representative of a certain part of the population." Kakashi's eyes drifted off again in thought and Iruka tugged on his sleeve, pulling him towards the path to get him to come back to earth.

"Well, I'm sure that's all fine and dandy and that it would make an interesting book one day but there's a boy waiting to greet you in the dining room," the older man sighed and gave Iruka an exasperated look as he wound his arm around the other man's waist.

"Can you be a little serious with me now, Ru," Kakashi pleaded, stopping them on the path and putting on his hurt face that made Iruka frown. "Imagine how this could change us, the world,"

"Kakashi, you know I hate politics because I don't understand it," the silver-haired man frowned as well and sighed, making Iruka's inside churn from guilt. "But…. I guess I can try…."

Face lighting up with a grin, Kakashi tightened his hold on the brunet, his face becoming mischievous quickly after. His lips had turned up in a sultry smirk that made onlookers shiver for miles and his visible, steel eye had dimmed with wickedness. Tone dropping, he murmured into Iruka's ear, "then let us talk….politics."

The brunet's eyes widened and he frowned, knowing that all those symptoms led usually to things that definitely didn't involve _politics_. He pouted impishly at the older man who had snaked both arms around his waist, pulling him closer and closer into the depths of the trees, "Aw, I was hoping we'd make sweet music together instead."

Kakashi chuckled and bumped their noses together, "oh, trust me, we'll be doing both, love."

_The End_


End file.
